STOftAG£-l . MAIN LIBRAKf LPA-A850 U.B.C. LIBRARY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of British Columbia Library http://www.archive.org/details/statementrespectOOhalk STATEMENT RESPECTiMG The Earl of Selkirk's Settlement UPON THE RED RIVER. IN ITS DESTRUCTION in 1815 jnd 1816; AND THE MASSACRE Ot GOVERNOR SEMPLE AND HIS PARTY. WITH OBSERVATIONS UtHJN A RECENT PUBLICATION, EntUl^ " A Narrative of Occurrences in the Indian Countries,** &c. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1817. Reprinted by Canadiana Bouse 677 Spadina Ave - Toronto 4 PriaUd by J. BretttU, ttwtt* Street* Htwnarka, Lamittu 1969 St/iAJitiy ipeakAjig the, **i^iA^t edition" o^ HaZkeXt*6 {/ooKk aioA pKAjitod {^ofi pfilvautz cMicalation pA.obably toiAXLA-dU the, end o£ HI 6. The. i^i/ut pabJUc exUtlon oi the, woA.k ci uklch the. pAeient volumz Id a copy voad pabtUhed by John Mu/umy, KZbemvdiz StKe,et, London in ISH. ThAA edition contains ^Ive. »up4 not In the. ^AA^t zdltlon depleting thz Red Rlve/i count/iy oa ^ottot^-i f. A map Oji poAt o^ the. IHVIKH TERnjTOJllES In NORTH AMERICA, exhlbitAng thz Route, oi the, Indian Fu/i TfiadeAi ^fiom fORT WILLIAU to the. REV RIVER, HI 6, Z. Ua.p oi thz VJSTRKT OV ASSIWIBOIA, U11 , the. EoAl Se,ikln.k Gfiant, 3. Map to 4fiow iAWS AT REV RlVBi conveufed by IhtVUN CHJEfS to tiie, EARL OF SEiXlRK, 1817. 4. Plan oi the, REV RWER SETTLEmhfr showing the, LINES Of THE MARCH 0¥ THE METIS andeA CuXhbeAt GAant, and the, me,n oi the. 6eXttetne,nt andeA GoveAnoK Semple,, 5. Plan oi the. REV RIVER SETTLEMENT a6 U um In JUNE nu. We. oAe. IndeJbtzd to Ma. John A. Bovey, Pftovlnclal AAchlvltt oi Manitoba, io^ providing a6 with the, abovz mate/UoJL CANAVIANA HOUSE Tofionto - )969 THIS EDITION IS LIMITED TO 220 COPIES OF WHICH 200 ARE FOR SALE. THIS COPY IS NUMBER: a... STATEMENT hespecting The Earl of Selkirk's Settlement UPON THE RED RIVER ^ ADVERTISEMENT. The Earl of Selkiiit, after his arrival in Canada, at the end of the year 1815, trans- mitted, upcMi various occasions, to his friends in England, the details of the first aggressions which had been instigated against the Red River Settlement, and the dispersion of the settlers in the preceding summer. He also subsequently furnished them with the par- ticulars and evidence which had been col- lected relative to the second destruction of that Ck>lony, in the following year. The informa- tion thus received, was not extended beyond a very limited circle in this country ; but, in consequence of the repeated misrepresenta- tions made with respect to the occurrences which had taken place at the Red River^ and the numerous reports, raised for the evident purpose of injuring Lord Selkirk's character in England, his friends^ at length, thought it VI advisable to select from tlie documents in their possession, such materials as seemed to them best calculated to remove the unjust impres- sions which had been so industriously dissemi- nated,— With this view, the Statement con- tained in the following sheets was, some time ago, printed and circulated among Lord Sel- kirk's personal friends, and some other indivi- duals to whom it was thought proper to com- municate the facts which it contained. This measure appeared the more requisite, because printed memorials and other documents had been put into active circulation by his oppo- nents. In adopting, however, even this limited step, they were aware that Lord Selkirk might entertain objections to what, without his knowledge or concurrence, they had thus resolved upon. The documents he had trans- mitted were only intended for their own infor- mation : but, although he could not be aware, that those by whom they were received would give them any degree of publicity, they took upon themselves to adopt such measures as appeared best calculated to protect his charac- ter in his absence. Shortly after the Statement had been thus circulated, a Pamphlet was published in Lon- don, under the avowed sanction of the Agents of the NorUi-West Company of Montreal, entitled, " A Narrative of Occurrences in the ** Indian Countries of North America,'' &c. &c, — a work containing, throughout every part of it, assertions which ought not to be allowed to pass unnoticed. In order, there- fore, that the subject may be more geneifally understood, the Statement has been re-printed with the addition of some documents and information which have been received since its fonuer ciiculation. To the Statement are also subjoined some Observations* upon the *' Narrative of Occurrences," and the whole is now submitted to the unbiassed, and impartial consideration of the Public. The subject is of higher consequence than the Reader may at first imagine. It includes the important question whether extensive and fertile regions in British North America are ever to become inhabited ,by civilized society ; or whether British subjects, who fix)m the increase of population in their native land, or from other causes of a public nature, are in- « For these Obsenrations, see page 11 3. VIU duced to emigrate to various parts of our foreign possessions in that quarter, are to be totally deprived of the protection of the Mother Country, and excluded from the benefit of the British Laws. London f June I817« STATEMENT, &c. HThE plans of colonization, promoted bj the Earl of Selkirk in British North America, have, for some time past, given rise to much, and gross, misrepre- sentation. More than common pains have been taken, by his opponents, to mislead, and to prejudice, the public; — but such attempts, "when the oppor- tunity for strict infcstigation arrives, can have no other effect than to recoil upon those whose studied object has been to calumniate an individual, and to conceal the truth. It has becwoc therefore ex- tremely desirable that the real circumstances of the case should be better understood, and that the true nature, and extent, of those extraordinary acts, by which his plans have hitherto been thwarted, should be clearly developed. The facts, contained in the following Statement, cannot fail to throw much light upon the eulgect. These shall be submitted as con- cisely as possible, but, at the same time, it appears requisite to trace them shortly from their origin. In doing so it vill not be necessary to enter upon the general subject of the. Emigrations from this country io North America ; or the views which led the Earl of Selkirk to form that Settlement which has been the object of such enmity and misrepresen- tation.— His Lordship's sentiments on the general question of emigration have been long before the pub- lic ; and, since be fiirstdrew its attention, in the year 1805, to this important subject, a marked change has taken place, not only in the opinions of many of those who then disagreed with him, but also in the conduct of Government, which has, of late years, afforded every reasonable facility for the conveyance, to our own colonies, of those emigrants f chiefly frofo Ireland and Scotland.) who were but too much disposed to settle in the United States. liie Earl of Selkirk having, in the year 1811 obtained from the Hudson's Bay Company, a grant of land within the territory bestowed upon them bj their Charter, proceeded, in conformity with one of the principal objects of the conveyance, to establish agncultural settlers upon the lands he had so obtained. — 1 he right to the soil, as vested io the Comoaoy, and the legality of the grant, were fully supported by the opinions of several of the most eminent counsel in Eiitciand, — of Sir Samuel Romilly, Mr. (now Mr. Justice) Holroyd. Mr. Cruise, Mr. Scarlett, and Mr. Bell*. His Lordship therefore proceeded, with- out delay, to make the requisite arrangements for the proposed settlement. The Hudson's Q^y Com- • For these Opmiops see Appendix; £ A. ] panj^ as empowered bj their Charter, appointed Mr. Miles Macdonell^ formerly Captain of the Queen's Rangers, Ao be Gorernor of the district of Ossini- boia, within which the Settlement was to be formed, and the same gentleman was nominated, by Lord Selkirk, io superinted the colony, and take charge of the settlers. In the autumn of the following year, (1812,) Mr. Miles Macdonell, with a small party, arrived at the spot which had been selected for the Settlement. He immediately proceeded to erect houses, and make every necessary preparation for the arrival of the first detachment of settlers, which was soon expected. The situation which had been chosen for the colony was on the banks of the Red River, (lat. 50° North, long. 97° West of London,) about forty or fifty miles from its entrance into Lake Winipic, and near its confluence with the Ossiniboyne River. At the beginning of the year 1813, the settlement consisted of about an hundred persons. In June 1814, they received an addition of fifty more, and in September following, the total number of settlers, and labourers, amounted io about two hundred. In the course of the same year, between eighty and ninety additional emigrants, from the Highlands of Scotland, arrived at Hudson's Bay, for the purpose of proceeding to the settlement, having been induced to Join their friends and relations at Red River, from the favour- able accounts which the latter had transmitted to them, of the lands upon which they were settling, and the flattering prospects that awaited them. — This last mentioned party, however, did eot arrive at the SetUement till after it was broken up> for the first time^ as sbail be noticed in the sequel. From the commencement of the Red River Settle- ment until the winter 1814-15^ and the following spring, there occurred nothing of anj material im- portance to interrupt the progress of this infant colonj*. The difficulties, which were, in some degree, unavoidable at the beginning of an establish* ment of that nature, were happily got over. The heads of families, as thej arrived, were put in posses- sion of regular lots of land, which thej immediately began to cultivate; — houses were built; a mill was erected ; sheep and cattle were sent up to the settle- ment ; and all practicable means were taken to for- ward the agricultural purposes of the colony. The spot which had been selected, was ascertained to be of the highest fertility, and of the most easy cultiva- tion. Though woods abounded in the neighbourhood of the plains adjoining the Red River, containing a variety of the finest timber, yet no trees were required to be cut down, or roots to be cleared away, from the lands that were appropriated to husbandry. The expensive and tedious operation of clearing away heavy woods, before the ground can be tilled, (a measure indispensable in most of the new settlements in North Americia) was totally unnecessary upon the banks of the Red River :— the plough, from the first, met with no obstruction, and the soil proved in the ♦ It was named the Kildonan SettUment, from the name of the parish, in the county of Sutherland, whence the greater part of the tettlers had emigrated. bigfaest degree rich and productive.— The climate hwi loDgbeen ascertained to be equal to that of any part of Canada, and with leas snow in the winter. ^Tbe river abounded with fish, the extensive plains with buffaloe, and the woods with elk, deer, and game. The hunting grounds of the Indians were not at all interfered with ; and, by the terms of the grant, both the grantee, and those who held under him as settlers, were entirely precluded from being con- cerned in the fur trade. The district indeed had already been almost exhausted of those animals, whose furs are so valuable. The neighbouring tribes of Indians (the Sautoux) proved, from the first, to be friendly and well-disposed. Serious attempts indeed had been made, as early as the spring of 1813, by the clerks and interpreters employed by the fur traders from Montreal, to instigate the natives against the settlers. The Indians were told by these persons that it was intended to deprive them of their hunting grounds, and that, if the establishment at the Red River once obtained a firm footing, the natives would be made slaves of by the colonists. — These attempts to alienate the good will of the natives from the settlers appeared, at fif st, to have an alarming effect, producing menaces, and jealousy, on the part of their Indian neighbours. — Mr. Miles Macdonell, the governor of the district, soon found means, however, of doing away the unfavourable impressions which had been raised. He held con- ferences with the Sautoux tribes, and not only succeeded in obtaining the continuance of their friendship, but also the promise of their supreme chief 6 to encourage the Indians of Lake La Pluie to draw nearer towards the Red River, for the purpose of plaoting Indian coru^ and establishing villages. — From this period the Indians, in the neighbourhood, remained upon the most friendlj^ footing with the colonists, and continued so to the last without inter- ruption. There seemed, therefore, nothing likely to occur which would impede the settlers in their agri- cultural pursuits, nor were the/ themselves appre- hensive of any molestation. The Earl of Selkirk, at the con^mencement of the settlement, had sent up some light brass field-pieces, swivels, and musquets, for its protection ; and an additional quantity of arms and ammunition, which bad been furbished by Government for the defence of the colony, was received there in the summer of 1814. — In short, the settlers appeared confident of their security, con- tent with their situation, and happy in their prospects ; tior did there exist any reasonable ground to doubt, that^ if left undisturbed, the colony, in a few years, would have been completely and firmly, established. -^This indeed, must have been the decided opinion, at the time, even of those who proved to be its most inveterate opponents, otherwise they never would have thought it necessary io tak6 violent means to destroy it. Had the Settlement been likely to fkil from causes inherent in its nature, or arising frOm the remoteness of its situation, or other local circum- stances, its enemies, (and none were better judges than they) would doubtless have left it to its fate ; and, remaining passive spectators of its destruction, would gladly have permitted the colony to die a natural death, instead of iocarring anxietj, ezpeose^ and the risk of the Tengeaoce of the laWi by adopting those active measures, to which they resorted, for the pur- pose of strangliog it in its infancy. — By the enemies of the Red River colony, I mean the North-Wcst Company of Fur Traders at Montreal, — whose bostih'ty io the settlement, and outrages against their fellow-subjects, have been carried to a pitch so dread- ful, 83 almost to surpass belief — It may be proper, in a few words, io trace their enmity from its com- mencement*. When the question of granting to the Earl of Selkirk an extensive tract of land, within their ier- jritoiEy, was first agitated by the Hudson's Bay Com- pany, a general court of Proprietors was called for the purpose of discussing the measure. ThiA meeting was held in May 1811, — and, in order to give the proprietors a further opportunity of making themselves fuUy informed of the nature of the pro- posed measure, an a^ournment of the court took place ; notice, io the mean while, being given to all th^e stock-holders, that the terms of the proposed grant were left at the Secretary's office fur their inspection. At the adjourned general meeting, the pcoposition waa discussed, and adopted. A Meoui- » Although the North- West Fur Traders of Montreal com- monly go by the name of a Company, they are not a chartered body. — An Account of the origin and cr>n:>titution of this powerful association may be been in a pamphlet lately published by the Eurl of Selkirk, entitled, "A Sketch of the British Far Trade in JNorth America,*' &c^ ifc 8 rial, however^ or Protest, was entered against tht measure, and signed by sii of the proprietors. In perusing this document, a superficial observer would have been led to conclude, that those who protested^ had no object so dear to them, as the welfare, and prosperity, of the Hudson's Baj Company. They seemed, with the most friendly atteotioa, to warn the Company of the errors into which they were falling, and the injuries, which would infallibly accrue to them, from the adoption of the measure in question ; — above all^ they feelingly regretted that those emigrant settlers, who might eventually be established within the district so granted, would be placed ** out " of the reach of all those aids and comforts, which " are derived from civil society.*' The sincerity, how- ever, of these regrets could not fail to appear dubious, when the signatures ib the Protest were inspected. Of the six who signed it, three were persons closdy connected with, and interested in, the rival com- mercial concerns of the North-West Company of Montreal ; and two of the three were, at the very time, avowed London Agents to that Company. The latter had only become proprietors of Hudson's Bay stock about eight and forty hours before the general meeting last alluded to. They were not ind^ possessed of that stock long enough to entitle them to give any vote at the meeting ; but their names being now entered in the Company's books, — though the ink was scarcely dry with which they were inserted, — a right, it seems, was thereby conveyed to them to find fault with every thing that was doings and for- taially to protest against measures to which tlie cora- knittee of Directors^ uoaoimously, and the general court of Proprietors, by a great majority, and on full deliberation^ bad given their sanction. As far as these agents therefore were concerned, it was not very unreasonable to view, with suspicion, the alleged grounds of their Protest, as well as the motives of those admonitions which it purported to contain. Their object indeed, in msdting the purchase, could scarcely be mistaken ; — and, however circuitous the proceeding might be, it was evident that they had thus become proprietors of one commercial Company, for the indirect purpose of benefiting another, and a rival, establishment. With regard to the grounds of this protest, as affecting the subject of the grant to the Earl of Selkirk, it would be an idle task to notice the geo- graphical, and other, blunders with which it abounded. — Had the whole matter of it indeed been confined to that single assertion in which the protesters observe, " Besides, it has been found that colonization is at '' all times unfavourable to the fur trade" — it would have disclosed at once, and in substance, the true cause of their alarm. This apprehension with re- spect to the effect which colonization might produce upon their trade, formed the ground of that hostility, which, even theoj became apparent towards the pro- posed Settlement; and we shall see that the North- West Fur Traders of Montreal did take effectual measures, from the time of this protest, not only to keep all agricultural settlers in Ossiuiboia '' out c 10 "* of the r«acli of those aids and comforts which are *' deriTcd from civil society/' — but that manj of them afterwards entered toto a regular combination^ for the purpose of dispersing the colonists^ and de- stroying every vestige of the settlement. The plans adopted for this scheme of destruction, appear to have been arranged at the annual meeting of the North-West Company's partners, in the summer of 1814, at their trading post,^ called Fort William, oil Lake Superior*. — Information had, in the course of that season, been transmitted to the Earl of Selkirk, (but vrhichhe did not receive till the i)^nning of the following year,) that serious appre- hensions were entertained of hostility from the natives, and that the Indians were likely to make an attack tipod the Settlement This information came from a person whose veracity was above suspicion ', and who, although holding an interest in the concerns of the North-West Company, had, much to his honour, determined not to conceal the opinion he entertained on the subject. The suspicions, however, which had arisen with respect to hostility from the Indians, provedi in the result, unfounded. — ^The attack came from another, but not less savage, description of enemies. Among the partners of the North-West Company, Hrho received their instructions from the general annual • In general, the houses, or trading posts, in the interior of the Indian country, and also in the Hudson's Bay territories, are termed Pon$, being usually surrounded with stockades for security. 11 meeting a^ Fort William, in the lummer of 1814, were a Mr. Duncan Cameron, and Mr. Alexander M'Donell ; and these appear to have been the persons selected bj the partnership* to superintend, and ex- ecute, the plans entered into against the Red River colonj. Upon the 5tb of August in that jear. the latter writes to his friend at Montreal, (also a partner of the Compan^J from one of the portages l^ing between Lake Superior^ and the place of his winter destination in the interior, and to v?hich he was then proceeding. — This letter, written and signed bj Mr. Alexander M'DoDell, contains the following pas- sage which speaks a language that cannot be misun- derstood:— "You see myself and our mutual friend, ** Mr. Cameron, so far on oo«* way to commence open " hostilities against the enemy in Red River.— Much " is expected from us if we believe some — perhaps " too much. — One thing certain, that we will do our " best to defend what we consider our rights in the *' interior.— Something serious will undoubtedly take " place. Nothing but the complete downfall of the •* colony will satisfy some by fair or foul means — a " most desirable object if it can be accomplished.— " So here is at them with all my heart and energy^. '^* Mr. M'Donell, and his co-partner, accordingly proceeded towards their destination, and arrived, about the end of August, at a trading post (called by them Fort Gibraltar) belonging to the North- West Com- pany, situated at the Forks, about half a mile, from the Red River Settlement. — ^This station had pro- bably never before been honoured with the regular residence of a partner of the Company ; but the It duties DOW required were^ it seeros^ too important to be entrusted to subordinate agents.* — Mr. Duncan Cameron remained at the Forks during the autumn^ winter, and ensuing spring. His partner, Mr. Alex- ander M'Donell, proceeded further into the interior, where be continued until the month of May, when be returned to the Forks, bringing with him a party of the Cree Indians from a considerable distance, for the purpose, as we shall see afterwards, of inducing them to assist in driving away the settlers from Red River, Cameron, to whom his partners appear to have confided the important charge of opposing, upon the spot, the further progress of colonization, seems to have been fitly qualified to perform the service for which he had been selected. He began by ingra-i tiating himself among several of the heads of families at the settlement ; and being able to converse with many of them in their native Gaelic tongue, he, by degrees, gained the confidence, and good opinion of the Highlanders. — He frequently invited them to his house, entertained them, and their families, at bis table, and treated them in a manner far superior to what they were accustomed to in their own habitations. He took every possible means to secure their favour ; and they saw no reason to be suspicious of his in- tentions towards them. The influence, which he gradually acquired over many of them during the autumn and winter, was artfully exerted to make them discontented with their employments, dissatisfied with their superiors, and doubtful of their prospects at the settlement. — He alarmed them with constant reports, which he stated he had received from tbo IS interibr^tliattbelndiansfrom adistance^ werecoimng ID the spring, to attack them ; and that, unless thej placed tlieraselves under the protection of the North- West Company, and accepted his offers to take them to Canada^ they vvould never be able to escape from the country, or avoid the dangers M'hich surrounded them. — In order to give himself an appearance of superiority and command, he pretended to bear a regular king's commission, ostentatiously wearing an uniform of the Voyageur Corps; a short-lived regi- ment, which had been disbanded two years before.-— In his written communications with the settlers he subscribed his name *' D. Cameron, Captain, Voya- " geur Corps, Commanding Officer, Red River/' — And, in order the better to confirm their belief, he conspicuously placed on the gate of his trading post, a paper purporting to be an order appointing him (Cameron) a captain ; his partner, M'Donell, a lieutenant ; and one of the North-West Company s Canadian clerks, of the name of Seraphim Lamar, an ensign, in that Corps ;— and the order sanctioning these conimissions, was stated to have been signed, in August 1814, by Colonel M'Dowal, the com- mandant at Michillimackinack*. • Tlie Earl of Selkirk having thought it advisable to ascertain if there existed any foundation fisr supposing that these persons were entitled to the commissions they assumed, applied some lime afterwards, (in March 1816) to Sir Gordon Drummond, then administering the government of Canada, (^mder the title of Administrator in Chief,) requesting to know whether it ap- peared that his predecessor, Sir George Prevost, " had given " authOTity to the comTnandaut at MichiUimackinack to issue 14 This impo8(ure on ibe part of Cameron, and tbei^ assumed airs of trust and importance, which, in other fitoations^ would perhaps have ooljr raised contempt ** commissions to persons in the Upper Country, a| officers in the ** Voyageur, or any other corps, and the natore and extent of •* the authority so granted," adding, " that the inquiry was of " material consequence, as he had the strongest grouud to believe* ** or rather that he had unquestionable information, that several " persons were at that moment making a very improper use of *' the name of his Majesty, under the pretext of some such autbo- *' rity; and that, for the same reason, he was desirous of Icaniiug " the nature and objects of the commissions which appeared to " have been granted to some gentlemen, as Major des tribut taw ** vages, et des pays con^is." — Sir Gordrmer had even taken regular lots of land which they b^an to cultivate, and the latter were occasionally employed by the colonists in hunting for them, and collecting provisions. — But when it was decided that the ana- thema pronounced in this country against coloniza- tion, as being " at all times unfavourable to the far '* trade,** was to be carried into effect ; and that the settlement was no longer to be allowed to exist, the services of the Half-breeds to the colonists were pre- vented. They were directed to harrass the settlers by every means in their power, to straighten them in provisions, and to drive the buffaloe from the plains. — From this period, therefore, their hostility to the settlement was as marked as that of their em- ployers, and they subsequently became the principal instruments made use of in promoting its destruction. To prevent any effectual resistance on the part of the principal officers, and the other settlers, who were not to be seduced by Cameron, it appeared a material object, previous to any attack upon the colony, to get possession of the arms which had been furnished by Government, as well as by the Earl of 19 Selkirk^ for its protection. After seTeral of tbe set- tlers, therefore, bad deserted, and the greater part of the others appeared ready to join him, Cameron issued the following order, addressed to Mr. Archibald M'Donald, who, in the temporary absence of Mr. Miles Macdoncll, had then the charge of the settle- ment. ** FoBKs OF Bed Rivxa, <* Ma. Archibald McDonald, « Sib, " As your field-pieces have already beoi employed '* io disturb the peace of hk Majesty's loyal subjects in this ** quarter, and even to stop up the King*s highway, I have ** authorised the settlers Xo take possession of thes), and io ** bring them over here, not with a view to make any hostile ** use of them, but merely to put them out of harm's way. — ** Therefore I expect that yoo will not be so wanting to your- '* selves as to attempt any useless resistance, as no one wishes " yoa, or any of your people, any harm. «Iam,Siii, " Your very obedient Servant, «' a CAMERON, •* Captain^ Voyagew Corpty '* Commanding Qficcr, R. R.'^ *• To Mr. Archibald M' Donald, ** Bed River SettUmem,'* This singular production was delivered to George Campbell, the most active of those who had previously deserted, and who read it on the Sunday he received it to several of the settlers, after th^ had been atembled to have a sermon read to them, as usual, on thaiday. — On the following morning the settlers and servants collected at the ftore-hoote to hare (heir so fortnight's allowance of provisions delivered out to them^ after wbich George Campbell, with several others, repaired to the Governor's house in the colony, and formally delivered to Mr. M 'Donald the order signed by Cameron; and while Mr. McDonald and the other principal officers of the settlement were forcibly prevented from leaving the house, by Camp- bell and his armed party, the store-house was broken open, and the field-pieces, together with the swivels, and a small howitzer, in all nine in number, were seized, and taken out of the store. — A musket was then fired by one of the party as a signal, when Cameron, with some armed men, immediately came out of a lurking-place where he had concealed him- self, (with a view, no doubt, of aiding the depreda- tors, should they have stood in need of his assistance,) and joined the parly within thirty or forty yards from the store-house. Among the banditti who attended him were two clerks, and an interpreter, in the regu- lar employment of the North-West Company, — Bois- BruleSj named Cuthbert Grant, William Shaw, and Peter Pangman, commonly called Bostonois. After Cameron had joined the party who had broken into the store-house, he congratulated them upon the success of their enterprise, and conducted them all, with the guns they had stolen, to his station at the Forks, where the plunder was deposited in the North- West Company's store, and the party regaled by their leader*. * On Mr. Miles Macdooell's return to the lettlement, shortly after this robbery, he granted a warrant to seaich for, and recover* 21 After this robbciy, those of the settlers, who had, for some time resolved to quit the Red River, deserted to the North- West Company's station at the Forks ; maoj of them carrying with them the Government muskets which had been issued to them, the guns, and arms, which Lord Selkirk had likewise provided, and which, (as well as various other articles, belonging to his Lordship, such as implements of husbandry, &c.) were afterwards purchased by the North-West Company, who could not but have known they were stolen. — One of the labourers belonging to the settle- ment, who had assisted in breaking open and plun- dering the store-house, having been apprehended by Mr. Archibald M 'Donald, a large armed party, led by George Campbell, together with the North-West Company's clerks and servants, Cuthbert Grant, William Shaw, Bostonois, and Boucher, broke into the governor's house, presented their pistols at Mr. M'Donald, and the other officers of the settlement, and rescued the prisoner, Shaw declared to Mr. M'Donald that this was done by Cameron's order. — the stolen property ; and sent several of the principal settlers, and about twenty persons with them, to the North-West Company's station for that purpose. — Mr. Duncan Cameron would only per- mit four of the party to enter within the stockades, and upon the warrant being produced, and read to him, he said he would neither allow search to be made, nor the property to be taken; that the guns and other articles were under his charge, and he would take care to keep them.— It was in vain to attempt to execute the warrant, as a number of the servants of the North- Weat €k>mpany were drawn up armed on each side, mostly with muskets and fixed bayonets. But it would require no luch declaration to lati^fy aoj one, that these additional acts of aggression could never have been committed by those in the service of the North- West Company^ had they not been di- rected by their superiors to commit them. Mr. Miles Macdonell, the governor of the dis- trict^ returned about this time to resume his charge at the settlement. A warrant to arrest him had been issued some time before by one of the partners oi the company^ Mr. Norman M'Leod, a magistrate for the Indian territory^ on a charge of feloniously taking a quantity of provisions belonging to that G^mpany; but Mr. Macdooell did not think fit to acknowledge the jurisdiction^ or yield to the ivar- rant*. lo consequence of this refusal, threats were repeatedly made by Cameron, that if he (Mr. Mac- donell) was not delivered up by the settlers, or did not surrender himself, the colonists should be at- tacked.— These threats were partially carried into execution, and several of the settlers were fired at hj Cameron's people. About the middle of Maj, Mr. Alexander Mac- donell, Cameron's partner, arrived at the Forks from his winter station in the interior, and brought down with him a party of the Cree Indians from the River Qui Appelle, several hundred miles further up the country, for the purpose, no doubt, of verifying th« predictions of his co-adjutor, who had so often de- clared to the settlers that the remote Indians were determined to attack them in the spring. — These • For an cxphiutiaa of tbu traiwaftioo, lee Appendix* [B.] 23 Crees were detained for a short time at the Forks, and generally kept in a state of intoxication. While they remained there, about a dozen of the horses belonging to the settlement were shot with arrows in the night-time, but it was supposed they were killed by the Brules under Cameron's direction, and not by the Indians. — The chief of the party found means to get over, without Cameron's permission, to the settlement, and declared to Mr. Miles Macdonell that, although they bad been brought from their own country for the express purpose of assisting in driving away the settlers, he was resolved not to molest them. — ^The Crees, indeed, seem to have been a some- what more civilized race than their employers. — They returned to their own country not very well pleased with their errand ; but, previous to their de- parture, they, sent the pipe of peace to the colony, as an assurance of their friendship. About the same period, another, and more formi- dable, attempt was made to instigate the Indians, from a difiPerent quarter, to fall upon the Red River settle- ment.^— A Chippewa Chief of Sand Lake, (near the River St. Louis, which runs into Lake Superior, at the Fond du Lac) has declared before the Council of the Indian Department in Canada, that he was offered, in the spring of 1815, for himself and his people, all the goods at three of the North-West Company's trading posts, if he would go with his warriors down to the Red River settlement, and declare war against the settlers : but he refused*. — The reports, tbere- ♦ Sec Appendix, [U.] fotCj of threatened hostility from the Indians^ so often urged hy Cameron to the settlers as an inducement to make them abandon the Red River, do not appear to have been altogether an empty rumour, or entirely destitute of probability ; but if there did eidst any ehance of such attack, it was certainly an act of the most consummate villainy, to rob the settlers of those arms vchich had been provided for their defence, and to deprive them of the only means left them for their protection against Indian ferocity*^. The servants and others employed by the North- West Company began now to collect in considerable numbers towards the Red River, and these, together with the Half-breeds, and most of the settlers and labourers who had abandoned the colony, formed a camp at some distance down the River, where they mounted some of the guns which they had pillaged from the settlement. Every anuoyance was now di- rected towards the remaining settlers, and measures of active hostility appeared to be preparing against them. The Canadian clerks and servants, together with the Brules, were occasionally paraded under the immediate inspection of the Company's partners. * Cameron not only aided> as already mentioned, in plunder- ing the colony, by force, of its means of defence, but availed him- •elf of his assumed commission and authority, to deprive the settlers of their anns.~-The following is a specimen of his ord thej threw off the mask ; and peremptory orders were issued by Cameron, directing the remaining settlers to leave the Red River. These orders were followed up by the most wanton acts of aggression^ under the direction of Mr. Alexander M*Donell, who, after Cameron's departure with his prisoner, succeeded to the command at the Forks. The remaining settlers were frequently fired at by his people ; the farm-house belonging to the settle- ment was broken open and pillaged ; several of the servants and labourers, quietly employed in tillage, were forcibly seized, and detained as prisoners ; the horses were stolen^ the cattle driven away, and the bull belonging to the settlement was killed and cut up in the presence of Alexander M'Donell himself. — He also made a sort of battery opposite the settle- ment, upon which he mounted two of the field-pieces they had stolen, and established a camp of about fifty or sixty of the Canadian servants, clerks, Bois- Brules, &c. &c.— Such were the measures which this piirtner adopted for defending, as he termed it in his letter of the 5th of August, what the North- West Company considered *' their rights in the in- *' terior." Another attack with fire-arms was made upon the governor's house on the 22nd of June ; but the fire was not returned by the settlers. — Finding, however, it was vata to look for a cessation of hostility, they determined to quit the settlement^ and accordingly informed Mr. Alexander M'Donell that they should be ready to depart io two or three days* — On the 24th of Juncj two of the Sautoux chtefn^ with about forty warriors of that nation^ arrived at the settle- luent. From thence they went to the North-Wcst Company's station at the Forks^ and endeavoured to prevail upon Mr. M 'Donell to permit the settlers to remain^ but without efiect. The Indians then ex- pressed their regret that, from the numbers of people whom the North-West Company had collected in the neighbourhood, supported by the field-pieces which had been taken from the colony, they were not able at that time to protect the settlers. They therefore advised them to depart, and offered to give them a safe escort, for themselves and their property, down the river, to Lake Winipic. — This offer was thankfully accepted, and was probably the means of saving the lives, as well as securing the property, pf the remaining settlers. For there is very little doubt but that the plunder of the stores, still remaining at the settlement, was held out as a lure to tempt the Half-breeds, and their associates, to the commission of the outrages s^ainst it ; and that they were pre- pared to seize all the remaining property by force, as the settlers passed down the river towards the lake. Under their Indian escort, therefore, the oSicers, and remaining settlers, amounting to about sixty, quitted the settlement, leaving behind Mr. M'Lcod, a trader in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, then stationed at Red River, with two or three men employed in the mercantile coacems of that Company. — Having thus quitted their habitations, they went, in their boats^ do.wn the Red River to its mouth, from whence, after taking leave of their !39 friendly lodiaQ conductors^ vho expressed an anxious bope that they would be enabled again to return to their settlement, they proceeded to the other end of Lake Wioipic, where they stationed themselves at Jack River House, a trading post belonging to the Hudson*s Bay Company.— -The day after they had left the settlement, a party of their enemies, com- posed, as usual, of the NorthrWest Company's clerks, servants, &c. proceeded to the spot, and, setting fire to the houses, the mill, and the other buildings, burnt them to the ground*. The " complete downfall of the Red River Co- " lony" having been thus accomplished through the agency of the two partners who had been employed to effect it, it will be important to observe how these persons were received by the North-West Company, when they reported to that body, the success of their campaign, and produced to them the proofs of their victory. They carried down with them, to the annual ren- dezvous of the partners and agents at Fort William, on Lake Superior, about one hundred and thirty-four settlers, including men, women, and children. — They arrived there about the end of July, and found many of the partners of the North-West Company as- sembled, who expressed their undisguised satisSaictiim at the occurrences which had taken place at Red River. — Cameron was highly praised for the steps he had adopted, particularly in carrying off the field- ♦ $€€ all the Appendix from [D.] fo [T.] inclosire. 30 pieces^ and securing ihe arms : and if auj' further proof were wanted, of which, however, there is abundance, that the conduct of Cameron and M'Doncll was fullj approved of by the body of partners then present, it need only be mentioned, that the Company, in place of taking immediate steps to have thoi>e two individuals brought to trial, again appointed them to command at the same sta- tious, in the interior, which they had charge of the season before, — and to return to the scenes of their late exertions, doubtless, with the view, of opposing any attempt which might be made to reestablisli the colony on the Red River. But though these marks of approbation were bestowed upon the leading actors in this work of destruction, it would appear that the subordinate agents were by no means so liberally rewarded as they had reason to expect ; and that they even com- plained of being defrauded of their promised hire*. Many of the deserters from the colony, however, and particularly those of the settlers, whose treachery had proved most useful to the North- West Company, were well remunerated for their services. An ac- count-book was regularly opened at Fort William, in which credits were given to forty-eight of these people, for various articles which they had plundered from the settlement, and delivered to Cameron at his trading post. — These consisted chiefly of implements of husbandry, working tools, horses, muskets, guns, piUols, &c. &c. — Thus, in one of these accounts, * See Appendix, {Q^], near the conclusion. 31 appears a credit '*Tor five new gun«, £\0i — for a "new common pistol^ 13s. ;— one old gun, 15«." &c, &c. — At the bottom of those accounts were generally added the sums thcj were to receive, and did receive^ as rewards for their services against the settlement.— Several of these persons thus obtained from the North- West Company larger sums than, in all probability^ they had ever been possessed of, at any one period, in the whole course of their lives. — To many of their accounts were also subjoined, in the hand-writing of Cameron, and M'Donell, short abstracts of the services which these deserters had respectively performed in promoting the destruction of the settlement. — For example ; — honourable men- tion is made of one of them (in the hand-writing of Cameron) thus — " This man joined our people in " February, was a great partisan, and very useful to "us ever since, and deserves something from the " North- West Company — say five or six pounds." — Of another (also in Cameron's hand- writing) : — " This man was also a great partisan of ours, and " made himself very useful to us ; he lost his three *' year's earning with the H. B. for joining us, and " he deserves at least about £20." — Of another (in the baud-writing of Alexander M'Donell) : "He " was very desperate in our cause this spring, and " deserves three or four pounds," (signed) *' A. " M'Donell."_Of another (also in M'Donell'd hand-writing): " An active smart fellow. — Left the " H. B. Company in Apiril last— a true partisan^ " steady and brave. — Took a most active part in the " campaign of this spring, and deserves from fifteen 32 *'to twenty pounds. — He has lost about £20 by " leaving the Hudson's Bay Co. a month before the " expiration of bis contract.'* (signed) "A. '• M'Donell.*'— Of another (likewise in M'DoneU's hand-writing) : " This man left the H. B. Co. in " the month of Aprils owing to which he lost three " yearns wages, — His behaviour towards us has been '* that of a true partisan^ steady, brave, and resolute " man ; and was something of a leading character ** among his countrymeOj and deserves at least about *' £20/' (signed) " A. M'Donell."— But the truest of all true partisans appears to have been George Campbell. This man was therefore con- spicuously honoured^ as well as rewarded, by the North- West Company. — He was placed at table in their common hall, at Fort William, next to the partners, and above the clerks of the Company. — But this distinction (enviable as it might be !) was tiot sufficiently solid for Mr. Campbell. — By the direction of the partnership he received a reward of J^IOO, which was paid to him by one of the Com^ pany's clerks. Subjoined to his account \^ith the Company is the following honourable testimony to his merits, under the hand-writing, and signature, of his friend and patron Mr. Duncan Cameron.-— " This (Geo. Campbell) is a very decent man, and a '' great partisan, who often exposed his life for the ** N. W. Co.— He has been of very essential serricc " in the transactions of Red River, and deserves at *' least £ 100, Halifax ; and every other service that " can be rendered to him by the North- West Com- " pany — Rather than his merit and services should go 33 " unrewarded, I would give hira a jglOO myself, " although I have already been a good deal out of ** pocket by my campaign to Red River. « DUNCAN CAMERON." After a perusal of the statements which have been thus submitted, and of the documents referred to in the preceding part of this narrative, no impartial reader, unless he thinks these documents are for<^ed, can hesitate in drawing this conclusion — that from the first knowledge of the Earl of Selkirk's iotention to establish a colony at the Red River, the North- West Company of Montreal determined to prevent it ; that, in pursuance of this determination, they adopted, both in this country and abroad, such measures as appeared to them best calculated to carry their reso- lution into effect ; — that in doing so, they did not scruple as to the means which were to be employed ; —that their hostile operations increased in proportion as the probable success of the settlement became more apparent — and that, at length, they thought fit to instigate those measures of violent aggression against it, which ended in robbery and bloodshed. These occurrences were at first ascribed, by the North-West Company, to the native Indians, — but, as it became obvious that not a single Indian had been concerned in them, they neict attributed them to the Half-breeds ; a race over whom they stated they had no control. Their influence over the Half- breeds, however, is too notorious to be concealed, and upon what description of persons they will next p 34 be driven to shift the blame^ it is not easy to coo* jecture; — but, however remote the scene of these crimes maj be, — however great the difficulty of obtaining speedy and effectual investigation; — and^ above all, however bold and artful the attempts to misrepresent facts, and conceal the truth, — the public cannot continue much longer to be misled bj vague assertions, or blinded by assumed concern at events which persons connected with the North-West Company pretend to have foretold, and which (in all human probability), had they wished, they could have entirely prevented. It may be recollected, that when the question of establishing a regular agricultural settlement in the Hudson's Bay territories was first agitated, and when the grant to the £arl of Selkirk, fur that object, was under discussion, certain individuals, concerned for the North- West Company in this country, stepped forward to express, in the Protest which has been formerly noticed, their humane concern at the dis- tressing situation to which the emigrant settlers in Ossiuiboia might be reduced ; and anticipated, with much apparent solicitude, the difficulties in which the colonists would be plunged. — But however com- passionate the language, which, at that time, was used by the [Persons concerned for the Company at home, they seem to have been over-matched in fine feeling by the Company's agents abroad. — Let us see how the Honourable Mr. William M'Gillivray, the agent and principal partner of the Nortb-West Com- pany in Canada, and member of the Legislative and £xecutive Councils of the Lower Province, expresses S5 himielf to Sir Frederick Robinson^ then in the tem- porary commaDd in Upper Canada^ who had applied to him for information with respect to the colonists at Red River.— On the 15th of August, 1815, (shortly after the arrival of the settlers who were brought, hy the Company, to Upper Canada, and when it is impossible to suppose that Mr. M'Gilli- vray, then in that Province, could he ignorant of the real circumstances of the case,) he writes to Sir Frederick Robinson, transmitting a Statement drawn up by him on the subject.— In this Statement he mentions, among other thir^, that, "the disorder " excited in the country by those acts of violence*, " the disgust given to the settlers by the extensive dis- " advantages of the country, as well as the violence and *' tyranny of their leader, and tlie dread of the natives, '' Indians, and mixed breedf , all contributed to break " up the colony. — Some few of the settlers (about " fourteen famdies) have returned to Hudson's Bay, *^ and the remainder threw themselves upon the com> " passion of the North- West Company to obtain ♦ Alluding to the proceedings of Mr. Miles Macdonell. — See Appendix, [ B. ] t lo another part of this letter Mr. M'GilHfray talks of these Half-breeds as *' being a daring and numerous race, sprung from ** the intercourse of the Canadian Voyageurs with Indian women, " and who consider themselves as the possessors of the country, " and lords of the soil." — It was sonic time ago rumoured that a formal petition had been presented to Government in behalf of these illegitimate Bols-Brul£s as *• lords of the soil!" — If they have become so, it doubtless must be by right of conquest, as eveu Mr. M'Gillivray will scarcely contend that tfcey bold the laud^ by right of infteritancc» S6 " means of conveyance to Canada. — Some of them " state upon oath that they left their homes in expec- " tation of coming io Canada at once, and were only ** told of theif actual destination at Stornoway in the " island of Lewis, from whence the embarkation " took place. — Others state, also upon oath, that " they were informed the distance from Red River to *' Canada was short, and the communication easy, " so that if they did not like that country, they might " have it in their power io join their friends in " Canada ; and others state that they were to ^o to ** Canada by the way of the Red River. — Under " these circumstances^ partly from compassion to- " wards these poor people, and partly from a dread " of the consequences of their remaining in the in- *' terior, (because, in the event of the Indians attack- *' ing them, it was feared that the Hatchet, once " raised, would not discriminate between a trader, *' and a settler, but that all the white men in the *' country might become its victims,) the North- West " Company has offered these settlers a conveyance to " this Province, and the means of subsistence since " they left the Red River." — &c, &c. &c. — And he concludes his letter to Sir Frederick (in which he forwarded this Statement) by *' begging his protec- ** tion and favour for the poor settlers." — The writer, however, deceived himself in supposing that the " fourteen families of settlers," alluded to by him, had returned to Hudson's Bay ; for, at the very time he was composing his Statement, and pouring nut hiA fine feelings in the answer to Sir F. Robinson's official inquiry, these obstinate, and uutractabie families 37 were actually on their way back to their old statioa on the Red River. — When the two partners of the North-West Company (Cameron, and Alexander M*Donell) had proceeded towards Canada with their followers, these settlers voluntarily returned from the North end of Lake Winipic, to resume possession of their lands, and to re-establish the settlement ; and this they did in spite of *' the extensive disadvantages of the country/' the " indiscriminating hatchet of the Indian," or, what was worse than either, the canting " compassion of the North- West Company." But we cannot yet part with Mr. M'Gillivray. — In his communication to Sir Frederick Robinson he refers to certain " statements upon oath," of some of the Settlers who were brought down to Canada. It is sufficiently obvious, however, that these depo- sitions, whatever they may contain, should be received with the greatest doubt and suspicion. — In the first place, those who were examined, were persons who had been seduced to the commission of crime by part- ners of the North- West Company, and were then at Fort William, under the control, and at the disposal, of those who had seduced them. In the second place, the persons who specially superintended these exami' nations, were no other than Mr. Alexander M'Donell, the Company's partner who was so active in their seduction, and Mr. Norman M'l^od, another part- ner, (and a Magistrate for the Indian territory,) whose activity, of a similar description, will appear suffi- cienily conspicuous in the sequel.- — Besides, before these statements are at all to be attended to, we ought ^rst to be satisfied that none of the persons examined 38 •were of the number of those forty-eight settlers, labourers, and others^ whose names appear in the account book made out at Fort William, and which specifies the sums respectively paid to them by the North-West Company, for their services, — as " true partisans," together with the credits allowed them for articles which they had plundered from their employer, and sold to that very Company, of which two of the most active partners were now selected for the purpose of taking these examinations. — The receiver of stolen goods is surely not a tit person io take the ci^amin^tion of the thief! — But this is not all. — ^There is evidence that while Messrs. Alexander M'Donell, and Norman M'Leod, were thus era- ployed in superintending those examinations, they evinced the greatest anxiety (and naturally enough too) that any circumstances might be discovered which could bring discredit upon the settlement at Red River, or blame on its management :— and there is dso evidence that while the examinations were going on, M'Donell received a special written direction from one of the leading partners of the Company, then at the Sault St. Mary, to hasten these depositions, suggesting the expediency of at once getting at something that might throw blame on the Earl of Selkirk ; and that he (M'Donell) should endeavour to find out some of the settlers rxho could, or would, swear to circumstances which might have that effect What the result of M'Donell's inquiry among the settlers for this object was, does not ap- pear.— He probably succeeded in gettit^ something vhich he thought would suit the purpose ; for he 59 seems to have bcco a most inddatigable parin<»rj either in the closet or the field. — Twelve months had not elapsed since we found him transmitting a dis« patch to his correspondent at Montreal^ that he wa8> then, by fair means or foul, preparing '* io commence " open hostilities against the enemy in Red River," — and now, having obtained the victory, we find him superintending in person, the solemn examinations of his prisoners on oath !— a " true partisan'* — equally- prepared to pursue his object with the Testament, or the tomahawk. In a former part of this Statement, it has been mentioned that the Earl of Selkirk had received in- formation, in the beginning of the year 1815, that it was suspected the Indians were likely to make an attack upon the Red River settlement; and, although the spcciQc ground of that suspicion had not been communicated, he lost no time in applying to Government for some military aid and protection. By affording io the colony, in its infancy, a small portion of such assistance, there was every reason to belicv* that, in a very short time, it would have become able to protect itself- But it will appear obvious, that the Provincial Government refused to give the protection, without having instituted a suffi- cient inquiry for the purpose of ascertaining if it was expedient to grant it. In order to support his settlers by his personal exertions, the Earl of Selkirk went to America, in the autumn of the year 1815. — On his arrival at New York, in his way to Canada, he received intelligence of the dispersion of the colonistS;, and the. destruction 40 of the settlement. He proceeded immediate!/ to Montreal^ where he soon learnt that the Indians had no concern ^whatever in the transaction, and he adopted^ without delajj the requisite steps to obtain substan- tial evidence with respect to the acts which had taken place^ and the persons hy whom tfaej were committed. — The settlers who had been brought down to ^ xoada^ were now dispersed in both Provinces^ and manj of them in great distress. — That distress was ascribed to his Lordship^ as a matter of course^ and not to those who had first seduced, and then abandoned them. — The North- West Company had no further use for their services ; — the expense of bringing them down to Canada had already proved sufficiently burthen-^ some; — and, of course, the splendid promises made at the banks of the Red River, of lands in the Ca*^ nadas, high wages, great encouragement, &c. &c, were all forgotten on the shores of the St. Lawrence. — But it is not unworthy of remark, that no sooner was it understood that Lord Selkirk was proceeding to York, in Upper Canada^ for the purpose of car- rying on his inquiries^ than rations of provisions were ordered io be issued, by the North- West Company's agent there, to those of the settlers who had been brought down to that place, and who had not ob- tained employment. Numerous affidavits were now taken, upon Lord Selkirk*s application, before various magistrates, both in Upper and Lower Canada. — Many of the settlers, labourers^ and others, who had belonged to the Red River colony, and who had been brought away by the North- West Company, were themselves 41 examined. In addition to the evidence thus obtained^ depositions had been taken (and sent to England by the waj of Hudson's Bay) of those officers and set- tlers, who, remaining true to their engagements, had refused to come down to Canada. — These depositions, together with other proofs, which had been obtained, formed so strong a chain of evidence, as to leave little doubt who the persons were, by whom the acts of violence had been instigated, and committed. While occupied in these important investigations. Lord Selkirk received information that the Red River Colony had been again re-established ; and that the body of settlers, which had withdrawn to the North end of Lake Winipic, had returned to the set- tlement, after Cameron and Alexander M'Donell, with their followers, had left the Red River. — On the receipt of this intelligence, Lord Selkirk dis- patched a messenger into the interior, for the pur- pose of giving notice to the settlers of his arrival in America ; and of his intention, as soon as the river navigation was open in the spring, to join them at the settlement with every means he could obtain, to secure their protection : — but the messenger he sent was waylaid, and robbed of his dispatches*. ♦ These letters were entrusted to a person, named Lagimo> niere, whom Lord Selkirk could depend upon, and who had made a hazardous winter journey on foot of upwards of two thou- •and miles, for the purpose of bringing intelligence to Montreal, from the Red River, of the re-establishment of the colony. With respect to his being robbed, on returning to the interior, see the Declaration of the Chlpewa Chief, before the Council of the Indian Department, in the Appendix, [U.]— Lagimgniere wjw G 42 Reports began now to be circulated of the pro- babilitj of renewed aggression against the colonj in the spring. — It was not \try likelj indeed that the opponents of colonization would sit tamely down, and permit the agricultural pursuits of the settlers to revive at Red Rivcr^ without some attempts to pre- Tent them. — In addition to their original inveteracy, they were probably not a little irritated at the resolu- tion evinced by the colonists, in endeavouring to re- establish the settlement after their former dispersion : — And it was therefore not doubted in Canada, by those most likely to be best informed, that another attempt would be speedily made to destroy it. waylaid in the night-time, near the Fond du Lac Superior, by some Indian hunters (employed for the purpose by the North- Wcst Company,) who beat him in a shocking manner, and plun- dered him of hia dbpatches, his canoe, andi every thing it cvn- tained.~-Tke order to intercept him was issued from Fort Wil- liam on the 2nd of June, 181G, by Mr. Norman M'Leod. '' The " intention of this express," says this magistrate in writing to hb partner at Fond du Lac, " is to tell you that Lagimoniere " is again to pass through your Department on his way with " letters to Red Ri?er. As a precautionary measure, he must ** absolutely be prevented proceeding, or forwarding any letters. *' He and the men along with him, and an Indian guide he has, '* must all be sent, with their budget, to this place, here to await *' the result of future proceedings. It was a matter of astonish- " ment to many, how he could have made his way last fall through " Fond do Lac Department — This, no doubt, you will be able ** satisfactorily to explain.** The Indians who performed the service were credited in the books of the North- West Company, with the sura of one hundred dollars. Several of the letters, in Lord Selkirii's hand-writing, have been since found among some loose papers at Fort William. 43 The Earl of Selkirk agaia endeavoured^ by every means in his power^ to procure some smali military protection for the settlers ; but his application to Sir Gordon Drummoud^ (who then admiuistered the Government of Canada) was unsuccessful ; — and his endeavours seem to have been equally fruitless to learn the reasons of the refusal. — In makii^ this as- sertion^ however^ it is requisite to state the ground upon which it is founded. In the months of March, and April, 1816, when numerous reports were in circulation, in Canada, of the intended renevfal of hostility against the Red River Colony, an official correspondence, of very considerable length, took place between Sir Gordon Drummond, and the Earl of Selkirk. It appears that the latter, having collected much evidence from various quarter*, with respect to the attack upon the ■ettlement in the former year, was preparing to have the proofs submitted to the Provincial Government. The object of laying that body of evidence before his Excellency, was to point out the description of per- tons who had instigated the former aggressions, and to shew that, from the same quarter, a renewal of the outrages might be looked for. In a letter to Sir Gordon Drummond, of the 11th March, 1816, his Lordship, among other things, says, " I beg leave to observe, that I consider this matter," (namely a small escort which he had requested for bis per- sonal security in going to the interior,) «* as totally distinct " from the permanent protection to be afforded to the settlers •* on Red River, in pursuance of Lord Bathurat's instructions « to your JEdOjeUcncy of March kst^l have to remind your 44 ** Bxcellcncy of my letter of NovenibCT 1 lib, to whicb no '* final answer has yet been giveo. — Bat I forbear to press ** for an immediate decision on that subject, as I shall soon ** have occasion to lay before your Excellency some yerj ** important documents, containing evidence which has come ** to ray knowledge since the period I refer to ;— evidence ** which must remove every shadow of doubt as to the pro- *' priety of an immediate compliance with the instructions ** in question.*' Sir Gordon Druramond, in bis reply to thia part of the subjects says, *' I beg leave to acquaint your Lordship, that having, " upon a full consideration of the subject, and after an at- ** tentive perusal of the numerous documents relating to it *' which have passed through my hands, declined a compli- ** ance with a requisition which was made to me for a mi- ** litary detachment to be permanently stationed for the ** protection of your Lordship's settlement on the Red " River ; and having fully stated to JEarl Bathurst my rea- ** sons for this refusal, I cannot consent to take any steps '* which I consider at variance with that decision, until I ** am furnished wtlli the farther and more specific instnic- ** tionsof his Majesty's Government, to whom f have referred «* on the subjfcl. — Having distinctly stated this in the con- ^' vcrsation wiiich I had the honour to hold with your Lord- <^ ship at the time that you placed in my hands your letter "of the llfh November, I had not apprehended that your ^* Lordship would have expected any further answer to that ** letter, or otherwise, I have to assure your Lordship that it ** should not have been for a moment withheld.'* Lord Selkirk, iu his answer to Sir Gordon Drum- mond, observes^ ** With respect to my letter of Norember llth| and the 45 *' GOnTenation "which I had the honour of holdiog with your " Excell«icy, on the subject of military protection for the ** settlers on Red Rlrer, I certainly did not understand yoa ** to express a determination so absolute, that do change ** could be made upon it, even by a change of circumstances, ** or by the discovery of facts of primary importance, pre- " vioosly unknown to you. To justify such a resolution, ** thus unalterable, J cannot doubt that your Excellency ** must have reasons of a more decisive nature than any ** which 1 can recollect you to have stated in conversation ; ** and as your Excellency has expressed your intention of " communicating to the North-West Company your mo- " tives for allowing a personal escort for myself, I trust, " that, in like manner, I may receive an explanation of the ** reasons which induce you to withhold from the settlers " that protection which his Majesty's Government had con- ** sented to allow." Some time afterwards, the subject was again press- ed upon Sir Gordon Drummond, as appears by the following letter addressed to him by Lord Selkirk : " Montreal, Jpril 23rd, 1816. « Sir, ** In referring to the letters which I have hadoc- '' casion of late to address to your Excellency, it appears that ** I have not fully informed you of the re-establishment of the '^settlement on Red River, which took place last autumn, ** little more than two months after its destruction appeared " to have been accomplished. — Your Excellency has been '* apprized that a part of the settlers refused to enter into ** the views of the North-West Company, and, when over- '* powered by superior numbers, retired towards Hudson's ** Bay,* — But as soon as the ruffians, who had been asseni- ** bled from various quarters to attack them, had dispersed, " these settlers returned to Red River, followed by a consi- 46 « doable rtHntotcement of people who had reoentiy arrhrad '* from Earope. At the date of the kit ad rices, in October, ** thej were living on the best terms with the Indians and '* half-Indians in their neighbourhood, and were under no <* apprehension, of an J enemies but th(»e which thej ex- *' peoted to be again excited against them by the malice of " the North- West Company* ** Your Excellency has not condescended to inform me " of the grounds on which you had refused io comply with ** Lord Bathurst's instruction * to gi?e liach protection to ** < the settlers at Red River, as could be afforded without "* detriment to his JVIajttty's service in oilier quarters/* ** and it is not improbable that you may have been infln- ** enced by the idea of the settlement having been totally <* and irrecoverably destroyed.— I think it my duty, there- ** fore, to inform your Excellency of the real state of the ** fact, and at the same time to point out the probability ^' that the same persons who plotted the destruction of the ** settlement last year, will make another attempt upon it <* this spring ; encouraged by the knowledge of the deter- << mination which your Excellency took last summer, not to ^* send any military force for the protection of the settlers. «* Though I have not been distinctly informed of the ■< grounds of that determination, I have received important ** hints as to some reasons which appear to have had weight ** with your Excellency. — So far as these are known to me, ** I can pronounce with confidence, that they are founded " on misinformation, and can pledge myself to bring lati*- " factory proof to this e&ct. '* When I had the honour of seeing your Excellency in « November, 1 understood you to be apprehensive, that « the employment of a military force at Red River would << be viewed with jealousy by the Indians.— I also understood <* that you had doubts as to the expense of sending troops ** there; and I have been informed by the last letters which « I have received from Londoa, that, in a commanication 47 " from yoni Excelloicy to Lord Batharst, it had been stated '* to be altogether impracticable to convey troops to tiiat *' conntrj. — If these are the objections which still -weigh " with your Excellency, I can hare no doubt that they may " be removed. " With respect to the Indians, I have, from anqnestioa- ** able aathority, such positive information of their favoor- " able dispositions, that I cannot entertain a doubt of his *' Majesty's troops being received as friends and protectors, " by the Indians as well as the settlers ; so that nothing but ** ordinary discretion, on the part of the officers, can be " requbite for maintaining harmony. So confident am I "** on this point, that if yoar Excellency will allow a com- " pany of soldiers to be sent up, and will entrust the selection ** of the officers and men to Colonel Darling, I will take ** ujwn myself the entire responsibility, if any such bad " consequences (as I conceive your Excellency to appre- ** hend) should arise on the part of (he Indians*. " With respect to the difficulty, and expense, of c«n- " veying the men, I am ready on that point also to relieve ** your Excellency of all the trouble and responsibility. All ** that I ask is your authority for the Commissary Genera! '* here to issue out of his 8tor(s, such articles as may be • The Earl of Selkirk was wrong; in supposing that the Governor of Canada could have adopted, with propriety, any measure within his government, upon the responsibility of his Lordship, or of any other private individual whatever. The responsibility must of course have rested with the person administering the government. The circumstance, however, tends to shew how anxious Lord Selkirk must have been to protect the colonists from the san- guinary attack vFhich, he was so well assured, would take place ; and that, if any blame should eventually occur, (in consequence of military protection being granted as a measure of precaution) tiiat he wished none of that blame should attach to any one but himself. 48 '< required for the oatfit, and supply of the expedition, — *^ leaving it to his Majesty's Government at home to decide, ''' whether these articles are to be allowed as for the public ** service or not ; and, in the event of their not being allowed^ " I will be responsible that these articles shall be either re- ** placed, or paid for, as may be desired. ** The only other difficulty, of which I have ever heard a *' surmise, is, that the officer in command might be placed ** in embarrassing circumstances, as to the proper line of ** bis duty, if called upon to support the civil magistrate, ** in the event of disputes between the different persons who ** claim authority. — I flatter myself that this difficulty will ** soon be obviated by a reference to the opinion of the At- ^^ tomey and Solicitor Creoeral of England as to the claims ia " dispute. — In the mean time, I conceive that your Excel- '* lency ought to refer the question to the Attorney-General ** of the Province, and that if his opinion be taken as a guide, ** the officer in command will certainly be exonerated from ** all responsibility. "In your Excellency's letter to me of the i5th ultimo, I ^' am informed that, having stated to Lord Bathurst your " reasons for refusing to send a military detachment to Red '* River, you could not lake any other step, till you should *' receive farther instructions. I beg leave, however, to ob- " serve, that this determination, having been communicated *' to Lord Bathurst previously to ray letter of Nov. 11th, ** must have been grounded altogether on the information " derived from the North- West Company ; for, at that " date, no information at all had been laid before your Ex- " cellency on my part, or that of the Hudson's Bay Com- " pany, of a later date than February 1815. At that period " we could only stale grounds of apprehension, as to the " intention of our enemies. Since my arrival in this Pro- *' vince, I have collected most decisive evidence as to the " conduct actually pursued by them — evidence which must ** have been entirely unknown to your Excellency at the 49 ** date of yont communicAttoa to Lord Bathnrst ; and even " now you are not in possession of one-tenth part of the facts ** trbich I can undertake to prove. — In my letter of Ilth ** ultimo I offered to lay the evidence before your Excel- " lency, and your reply gave rae to understand, that it was " too late to be taken into consideration, ** I presume, however, that the instructions given by ** Lord Bathurst in March 1815, have never been recalled ; " and till they are positively and explicitly recalled, I con- ** ceivc that it remains in your Excellency's discretion, to *' act upon them if you see fit; and that you cannot be ** precluded from the exercise of that discretion, by any ** determination which you may have expressed, while you '^ were under an erroneous impression as to the real slate of ** the facts, or while the circumstances of the case were ** different from those which now exist' The re-establish- ** raent of the settlement, and the probability of a renewal oC *^ h(»tilc attacks against it, call loudly for a revisal of your " determination. The occurrences of last summer prove, *' beyond all possibility of doubt, that the countenance of ** the public force is necessary for the protection of the " settlers against the lawless violence of their enemies ; and " the instructions which your Excellency received last year '^ from Lord Bathurst cannot leave any doubt as to the ^* intentions of his Majesty's Government to afford pro- " tection, and not to abandon the settlers to tlieir fate, as if " they were out of the pale of the British Empire. — If, ** however, your Excellency persevere in your intention to '* do nothing, till you receive farther instructions, there is a *' probability, almost amounting to a certainty, that another <* s^son most be lost, before the requisite force can be sent ** up ;--during another year the settlers must remain ex- *' posed to attack, and there is every reason to expect that iii ** consequence of thb delay, many lives may be lost. ^* That thb calamity can only be averted by the means *^ pointed out la Lord Bathurst's instructions, and that no u 50 « reasonable objection lies agtunst that measure, are << points of -which yonr Excdilency cannot foil to be con- <' vincxd upon a careful rerexaminatioa of the subject, when ^ you have the whole endence before yoo, and can bestow ** equal attention on both sides of the question. I haye the honour to be, ** 8ic &C. &c (Signed) "SELKIRK. '* To Hit EscelUncy " Sir Gordon Drummondt " tfc. ifc. ifcr tn answer to this letter^ his Lordship received the following reply from Sir Gordon Drummond ; — *' Castle Sc. Lewis, " Quebec, 27M April, 1816. '* My Lord, ** I have to acknowledge the receipt of your ** letter of the SSrd instant, and regret extremely to find that ** your Lordship deems it necessary to urge roe on a point '^ to which I have already so fully and so candidly replied. *^ I trust that the communication which I made on the '' $5th instant, both to your Lordship and to the partners ** of the North- West Company, will have the desired effect '' of preventing a repetition of the mutual proceedings and ^* outrages -which have been made the subject of complaint " to his Biajesty*s Grovemment, and which were so strongly << doaounoed in the dispatch of Ear! Bathnrst, cited in the ^* above conunnnication. *' I have the honour to be, " &c &c. &c. (Signed) « GORDON DRUMMOND. '* Earl qf Selkirk:* 51 The following was the letter (of the 25th of April) referred to bj Sir Gordon Dnimmood in his above- mentioned communication, and the answer to which is also subjoined : — "' CabtLb o^ St. Lewis, Qvebbc, " 25/A April, 1816. " Mt Loao, ** Haying received from my Lord Bathnrst a dispatch^ •' in ^hich his Lordship acquaints me that many com- ** plaints had been made to him of the violent proceedings, " and mutual outrages, of the servants of the North- West, ** and Hudson's Bay Cooapanies, in the remote parts of his " Majesty's North American dominions^ which^ if persevered " in, may ultimately lead, not only to the destruction of ** the individuals concerned, but of others of his Majesty's " subjects J I am, therefore, in obedience to his Lordship's " commands, to desire that your Lordship ViU, without loss " of time, inculcate on these servants and agents of the '* Hudson's Bay Company, who may be under your control, ** or within your influence, the necessity of abstaining from *' a repetition of those outrages which have been lately so ** frequent a cause of complaint ; and I am to convey to *' your Lordship the determination of his Majesty's Govcm- ** ment to punish, with the utmost severity, any person who '* may be found to have caused or instigated proceedings so ** fatal to the tranquillity of the possessions in that quarter, ** and so disgraceful to the British name. " I am to acquaint your Lordship that a similar com- ** munication has been made to Mr. M*GiUivray, as one of " the principal partners of the North- West Company. " I have the honour to be, " &c. Sac, &c. (Signed) « GORDON DRUMMOND. « Earl of&lkirkr 52 «SlR, '* I have io ackno\vledgc the honoar of your " Excellency** letter of the 25th, commanicating the receipt " of a dispatch from Lord Bathurst rclatire to th^ eom- ** plaints which have been made (o him of violent pro- " ceedings between the servants of the North-West, and "Uadson's Bay Companies. ** It gives me very great pleasure to learn that his Ma- " jesty's Government are at length determined to punish *' the authors of these outrages. — I shall not fail to commu> " nicate your Excellency's letter, not only io the persons " in ray own employment, but also to the servants of the ** Hudson's Bay Company, with whom I have any corre- ** spondence.— At the same time, I must be permitted to ** observe, that the uniform tenor of my own instructions ** has been exactly conformable to that-which Lord Bathurst \* now inculcates ; and this has also been the case as to the '* instructions given by the directors of the Hudson's Bay ** Company to (heir servants. — Of this I can speak of ray '* own certain knowledge for the last six years, and I have *' every reason to believe that the case was the same before '* that time.— I most also take the liberty of observing, ** that the Hudson's Bay Company are possessed of ample '^ materials to prove that the outrages which Lord Bathurst ** speaks of have not been * mutual/ but all on one side. — •* As, however, the proof of this assertion may require an ^* investigation of some length, I beg leave to point out two ** very obvious considerations of probability, of which, *' Lord Bathurst cannot fail io perceive the force. " In (he first place, the establishment of men in the ** service of the Hudson's Bay Company, does not amoGnt ** to one-third of the number employed by the North- ** West Company. — Whether is it most probable that a " system of aggression and violence should originate with ** the weaker party, or with the stronger ? ** In the second place, your Excellency is aware, that, 53 " for more than a year past, it lias been the anxious vish "of the Hudson's Bay Company, that a party of troops ** should be stationed in these parts of his Majesty's ** dominions for the purpose of preserving the peace.— Is it " probable that such an application should come from a *' body of men who are disposed to encourage their servants ** in acts of violence and oulrae^ ? " I have the honour to be, '* &c. &c. &c. (Signed) '< SELKIRK.'' " His Excellency " Sir Gordon Drummond" After a perusal of the Documents above referred to, can there exist a doubt that the Earl of Selkirk made every exertion in his power to warn the Pro- vincial Government of the apprehended renewal of those outrages ^hich had caused the destruction of the Red River settlement in the year 1815? — Is it not obvious that he not only pointed out the evil, but suggested the remedy? and that, in doing so, be had not forgotten io consider the most likely means of securing, from subsequent blame, those individuals who might be appointed personally to assist in pro- tecting the colonists, and keeping the peace? From the letters, however, which he received from the Provincial Government, it may be collected, that the measures of precaution which had been applied for, wereoot only refused, but thatadetermination had been made not to communicate to him the grounds of the refusal; The Governor, or persou administering the government, of Canada, no doubt, had a right to give, or to withhhold, the reasons of his dissent — He might think it was sufficient that he had communicated them. the year before, to his Majcat/a Goyernment. — Buty as a candid comrounication of the grouads of his for* mer decision might erentualljr have been the means of his becoming better informed ; — and as^ at all events^ the consideration of the additional evidence Mrfaich was ofiered bj the Earl of Selkirk, could not have made him less master of the subject^ — it is difii" cult to guess what just reason can be assigned for the refusal.— The dispatch from the Secretary of State, conveying the determination of his Majesty's Government (as stated in Sir Gordon Druromond's letter of the 25th of April), to punish, with the utmost severity, those persons Yfho were found to have caused, or instigated, the proceedings in ques-- tion, surely required from the Provincial Government, an immediate, and a rigid, inquiry. How could the persons be punished until they were known ? and, perhaps, the very last person in Canada, whom Sir Gordon Drummond ought to have requested to guide him in the search, was the individual upon whom, it would appear, he chiefly, if not exclusively, relied for information.-^Whatever might have been the private opinion which he entertained of the chief agent of the North- West Company, that agent was surely not the proper channel through which infor- mation ought principally to bare been sought for upon matters in which the Company itself appeared to be so deeply implicated.-^— Delicacy even towards Mr. M'Gillivray himself, ought, certainly, to have prevented the question from being put to him. It is not meant, in the slightest degree, to insinuate that the Provincial Government, in thus applying to the 55 principal agent of that Company, had anj doubt \7hateTer but that accurate information would be thereby obtained. Mr. M'GilHrraj was among the highest in point of rank within the proyioce, and a member of the Council ; and, in applying to him. Sir Gordon Drummond, without doubt, concluded he was directing his inquiries to one who was enabled, from his situation, to assist him on the subject. But, if he resolved to consult him, he ought to have consulted him along with others, and not to have remained satisfied with the answers exclusively given by an agent of that body against which such heavy charges had been made, and officially submitted, to his Majesty's Government. That Sir Gordon Drummond did, from the first, rest satisfied with such answers as the principal agent for the North- West Company chose to communicate, can scarcely be doubted by any one who will peruse the following letter addressed, by his Excellency's direction, from the adjutant-general at Quebec, to the Earl of Selkirk's agents at Montreal, previous to his J/ordship's arrival in Canada. „ ^ Quebec, 12th July, 1815. " Gentlemen, " Referring to my letter to yon of the 8th ultimo. ** inclosing a copy of a coromonicatioa proposed to be made " to Mr, M'GilHvray, contabing certain qaeries relatiTe to ** the danger with which the settlers on Red River are snp- <* posed to be threatened from the hostility of the Indians, « instigated by the servants of the North- West Company, " I am directed by Sir Gordon Drammond to acquaint yoa " that that letter has been answered by Mr. M*GilUvray ia 56 " such a maDner as would ha?e removed from his Excel- '* lency's mind all traces of any impression unfavourable " to the honourable character, and liberal principles, of the " heads of the North- West Company, had any such im- " pression existed. " On a full consideration, however, of the statements, " and documents, now before him. Sir Gordon Drummond " is of opinion, that if the lives and property of Lord " Selkirk's settlers are, or may hereafter be, endangered, '' that danger will aiise principally from the conduct of " Mr. Miles Macdonell, his Lordship's agent, who appears " to his Excellency to be actuated by any thing but a spirit " of moderation or conciliation in his language and de- " meanour towm-ds the servants of the North- West Com- '* pany. He has moreover assumed powers which cannot " possibly, in his Excellency's opinion, have been vested " in him, or in any agent, public, or private, of any indivi- " dual, or of any chartered body*. — The legality, however, " or otherwise, of the proclamations issued by Mr. Miles '* .Macdonell (copy of two of which are enclosed) will of " course be determined in a court of law in Great Britain, " to which they have, very properly, been referred by the " North- West Companyf. The papers which accompanied " your letter are herewith returned, copies having been * How far Sir Gordon Drummond's legal opiuiou ought to have weight with respect to the powers, and commission, held by Mr. Miles Macdonell, as a governor in one of the Hudson's Bay Company's Establishments, under the specific provisions of a Royal Charter, it is not requisite to inquire. At all events he appears to differ from Mr. Justice Holroyd, Sir Samuel Romilly, and the other English lawyers, whose names appear in the Appendix, [A.] t No such reference to any court of law in Great Britain, has ever been Heard of. 57 *' retained for transmission to the Secretary of State, before " whom it has been his Excellency Sir Gordon Drum- '* mond*s endeavour, to place the whole case, as fairly and ** fully as possible. " I have the honour to be, " Gentlemen, " Your obedient humble servant, (Signed) "J. HARVEY." " Lieut. -Col. 4rc. fyc" " Messrs. Maitland, Garden, \ and Auldjo." 3 If this letter should not be deemed sufficient to establish the fact of the Provincial Government having been fatally led to rest satisfied with the information obtained from those who were connected with the parties accused, the perusal of another one from the same quarter, (written a few weeks previous to tliat above quoted,) and addressed to the Honourable Mr. William M*^Gillivray, will probably remove any doubt which may remain on the subject. This document, although it appears to have been of a confidential nature, was officially made use of by one of the leading Partners and Agents of the North- West Company, and transmitted, by him, to his Majesty's Government, in the month of June, 1815. " Quebec, Jmie litht 1S15. *^ CoNFIDENTIAJy. " My Dear Sir, " Sir Gordon Dmmmond has received a comraa- '* nication from high authority, desiring him to make in- '* quiry into the foundation for a strong degree of alarm " which appears to be entertained by the Earl of Selkirk, *' and the Hudson's Bay Company, for the safety of theii I ** settlers on Red River, in consequence of an idea which ^* bad been instilled into their minds by persons resident " in Canada, that the Indiart tribes in the neighbourhood ** of (hat settlement have been instigated to commit t^e '* horrid and Mrocious act of attempiiog the destruction of " the whole population of that settlement. ** I must not conceal from you that some of the servants " of the North- West Company are suspected of being con- " cerned in this diabolical act. Sir Gordon Drummond " however feels that he cannot more strongly evince the ** high respect which he entertains for the head of that " most respectable body, and his perfect confidence in " their candour and liberality of sentiment, than by the " course which he has not hesitated to adopt of applying *' himself direct to them for the information which they " assuredly possess the best means of affording, and which " his Excellency is equally assured they are too honourable ** and conscientious to withhold. " I am commauded therefore to ask you if there exists " in your opinion any reasonable grounds for believing that " the atrocity alluded to is in the contemplation of the ** Indians in question, or that the safety of the persons, or *' property, of the settlers on the Red River is endangered " from the causes above referred to ? ** Whatever may be the answer to this query, I am com- ** mandpd to remind you, that the powerful body of which " you are the head, far more than the government of tliese " provinces, possess the means of influencing the actions " of these remote tribes of Indians with whom they alone '* hold an intercourse, whose wants they alone supply, and ** whose conduct they alone can control. **The North-West Company, therefore, will be con- '* sidered responsible in the eye of the world, as well as in " those of his Majesty's Government, for any such horrid '* catastrophe as 1 have alluded to, whether arising from *^ the instigations of their subordinate agents, or firom the ** iuflaenced malignity of the Indians themselves. B9 ^* Sir Gordon Drummond feels assured that bj tliis " appeal he has more effectually provided for the safely of " hi» Majest/s subjects inhabiting the shores of Hudson's " Bay, than it would be in his power to do by any other ** measure whatever. " His Excellency being ill-provided with maps or charts " of that remote part of his Majesty's dominions^ in which " the Red River is situated, has directed me to request that " you will favour him with the loan for a short time of any " good one which may be in your possession*. (Signed) " J. HARVEY." " The HoHOurahle *' William M'Gillivray.'* Upon these documents it is not necessary to make any comment. Sir Gordon Drummond evidently thought he was thus adopting a step, which would enable him to .give the information required by his Majesty's Government. — That it was his wish to learn the truth, and to avert the danger, is apparent. At the same time it is obvious that he was much in error ; which has been but too clearly and fatally proved, by the lamentable consequences which ensued. No hope being now entertained of obtaining mili- tary protection for the Settlement, — a circumstance soon afterwards occurred, which appeared to afford, to the Earl of Selkirk, an opportunity not only of procuring a body of efficient settlers for the colony, but of materially adding to its strength and security. » See the letter, in which the document (above citc^) was offi- cially transmlUtd to the Secretary of Bute, io Appendix, [ D.D.j 60 la consequence of the peace with America, the regi- menfs of De Meuron^ Watte ville, and the Glengary Fencibles in Canada, were reduced. The privates, as well as the officers, were entitled, on their discharge^ to have lands assigned them in the Canadas, in which case the men (of the two first mentioned regiments) were not to be brought home to Europe. Nearly two hundred of the Meuron Regiment remained in America, and of these about eighty, together with four gentlemen who had been officers in the regiment, instead of remaining in Canada, preferred going ia the Red River settlement with the Earl of Selkirk. His Lordship entered into regular written agreements with each of these men, in like manner as he had done with his other settlers, and labourers at the colony. — They were to be paid at a certain rate per month for navigating the boats up to Red River; — were to have lands assigned to them at the settlement ; — and, if they did not chuse to remain there, they were to have a free passage back to Montreal ; or, if they preferred it, were to be conveyed, at his Lordship's expense, to Europe, by the way of Hudson's Bay. Besides the discharged soldiers of the raiment of Meuron, there were about twenty of that of De Wat- teville, who engaged on similar terms. A few of the Glengary Fenciblcs, with one of their officers, also joined him. When these men were discharged, they were no longer soldiers. They retained their clothing, as is usual in such cases, and Lord Selkirk furnished them with arms, as he had done to his other settlers, — a measure which Government itself had more than sanctioned in the year 1813, having ordered the 61 Board of Ordnance, at that time, to issue some small field-pieces, and a considerable number of muskets^ and ammunition, for the use of the Red River colon/. — Much obloquy has been thrown upon the Earl of Selkirk bj his opponents, for hating entered into en* gagements with these discharged soldiers^ but it is not easy to discover the grounds of their censure. These men had an undoubted right to enter into such agreements with the Earl of Selkirk, and the latter bad an undoubted right to enter into contracts with them. The Provincial Government was apprised by his Lordship of the measure he was adopting, and of his views with respect to these people. — With this body of men,, therefore, as an addition of strength to his settlement. Lord Selkirk proceeded towards the interior, in confident hopes that he would arrive at the Red River before any renewed aggression was directed against the colony: — but in this he was disappointed. When he reached the Falls of St. Mary, between Lakes Huron and Superior, a party of his people, which had been forwarded from Montreal in light canoes, that they might arrive at the Red River with all pos- sible dispatch, fell back, and, brought him intelligence that the settlement was again destroyed. They stated, in addition, that many of the settlers, together with Mr. Semple, the Grovernor of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's territories, who happened to be there at the time, and also several others in the service of that Company, had been killed. Those who brought this intelligence had not reached so far as the Red River; for, having been informed, about the eo- 62 tmnce of Lake Winoipic, that the colony was broken up, and the settlers dispersed, they had thought it needless to proceed. — Their account was vague, but, at the same time, thefe was no reason (o doubt (hat tlie lamentable event, so reported, had actually taken place. It was also asserted, that several of the settlers, and others, had been brought down from the Red River as prisoners, by the North-West Company, and were detained in custody at their trading post at Fort William. Previous to this intelligence. Lord Selkirk had no intention whatever to go to that place. The route he had fixed on lay quite in a different direction, namely by the Fond du Lac (at the upper, or West, end of Lake Superior) the River St. Louis, and the Red Lake, at which place he had sent direc- tions that boats and provisions from the colony on Red River should meet him, and his new settlers. He had even dispatched, from the Falls of St. Mary, the boats with his people, to proceed along the South shore of Lake Superior, so as to avoid all coliisiou with the North- West Company's establishments, and intended to fellow them in his own canoe, whcji the intelligeuce was communicated to him of the destruc- tion of the settlenjcnt. — Finding, therefore, that the colonists were dispersed, and the settlement destroyed, be was, of course, prevented from proceeding in the direction he intended ; and he resolved to go to Fort William, and demand the release of those who were in custody, or ascertain the grounds of their de- tention. The difficulty and distress in which he was placed will, perhaps, be best seen ia the account which his 6S Lordship dispatched (from the Falls of St. Mary, 29tii July), to Sir John Sherbrooke, who had recently been y^ppointed Governor iu Chief of the Canadas. — " It is with feelings of the most anxious concern," observes his Lordship, ''that I have to add the iii- *' formiition recently received here of the success " which has this season attended the unprincipled "■ machinations of the North-Wcst Conjpany, who *' have again effected the destruction of the settle- " ment on Red River, with the massacre of about '' twen(y of the settlers and servants of the Hudson's " Bay (Company. The circwmstances attending this " catastrophe, and those which immediately led to *' it, have, as yet, reached me only in a very imperfect *' manner, and through channels which cannot fully " be depended upon, i have no doubt that the North- " West Company are in possession of more accurate " informalion, but the interest they have to misre- '' present the facts, must be too evident to require " any comment. Of this I am confident^ that Mr. " Seniple was not a man likely to act in a violent or *' illegal manner, so as to give any just ground for '* such an attack as appears to have been made. I " trust that, in the course of a few days, I may obtain *' more complete information on this subject, at Fort " William, where are now assembled many persons *' who must have direct knowledge of the facts, and " oo whom I propose, as a magistrate, to call for in- " formation. In the delicate situation in which 1 " stand as a party interested, I could have wished '* that some other magistrate should have uodertakea 64 " the investigation. In this view I ha?e applied fo ** two very respectable gentlemen in this neiglibour- '* hood, who are qua]i6ed as magistrates for tlie " western district of Upper Canada*, and the only *' persons so qualified who could be expected to go '' io such a distance. Both of them, however, have ** avocations which render it impossible to comply *"' with my request ; I am therefore reduced to the " alternative of acting alone, or of allowing an auda- '* cious crime to pass unpunished. In these circum- '' stances, I cannot doubt that it is my duty to act, '* though I am not without apprehension that the law " may be openly resisted by a set of men who have " been accustomed to consider force as the only cri- " terion of right. " I have the honour to be, " &c. &c. &c. (Signed) "SELKIRK." " To JJis Excelltticy " Sir John Skcrbrooke, Lord Selkirk accordingly directed his course to Fort William, and entering the River Kaniinistigoia, liear the mouth of which Fort William is situated, proceeded nearly a mile above it, and made his people pitch their tents on the opposite bank. — A number of the partners of the North-West Company were now assembled at the Fort, or trading post, and, among them, Mr. William M'Gillivray, their prin- * These were Mr. Askin of Drumoiond's Island, and Mr. Ermatinger at the Sault St. Marie. 65 cipal agent in Canada. Lord Selkirk immediately sent over to that gentleman, to know by what au- thority, and on what grounds, Mr. Pritrliard, Mr. Pambrun, Nolin, and others from the Red River, were detained in custody. Some of these were immediately permitted to join his Lordship, Mr. M'Gillivray stating that he did not admit they were prisoners ; and adding, that of the others, who had been sent for, one was on his way to Montreal as a prisoner, and the other as a witness. The persons who came over, asserted that they had all been kept for a time under rigorous confinement. The Informations taken of these persons and others, with respect to the occurrences at the colony, were of such a nature, as to induce his Lordship to issue warrants . for the apprehension of the North- West Company's partners then at Fort William. — The first he issued was against Mr. M'Gillivray, who submitted immediately to the arrest. Two other partners, who came over with him, to offer themselves as bail, (which was refused) were also apprehended, and detained under similar warrants. Other warrants were likewise issued to arrest several more of the partners, who had remained behind at the Fort, and the constables were again sent with two boats, the crews of which were armed, for the purpose of supporting the peace-officers, if neces- sary, in the execution of their duty. The resistance^ which was made to the serving of these Tast-roen- tioned warrants, is a sufficient proof how advisable it was to resort to the precaution which had been adopted. When the constables landed, four or fivt 66 of the partners vfere standia^ at^ and wilbia the gate of the Fort, together with a considerable number of Canadians, and Indians^ in the North-West Com- pany's employment. The warrants were, in the usual form, served upon two of these partners ; but when the constable was proceeding to arrest the third, he declared that there should be no further sub- mission till Mr. M^Gillivraj was liberated. An attempt was immediately made to shut the gate, and prevent the constables from entering. Thej had succeeded in shutting one half of the gate, and had almost closed the other by force, when the prin- cipal constable called out for the assistance of those who were with him. — The party from the two boatSj about twenty-five in number, immediately rushed up, and forced their way into the Fort, A signal, as previously agreed upon if required, being made by a bugle sounded by one of the party, an additi* onal number of persons came quickly over from the opposite side of the river, and their appearance (for they did not then enter the Fort) probably prevented bloodshed, and further resistance. — The partner, who had refused obedience to the warrant, was seized and taken to the boats^ and the rest submitted peaceably to the arrest. At the time this resistance to the warrant was attempted, there were above two hundred Canadians in the employment of the Com- pany in, and about, the Fort — ^together with sixty or seventy Iroquois Indians, also in the Company's ser- vice. Another warrant had been issued io search for, and secure, the papers of the Company, and of the partners who had been apprehended. — Seals were 67 put upon these by a gentleman appointed by the Earl of Selkirk^ and by one of the principal clerks of the North-West Company, and guards were placed for security. The partners^ who were arrested, were taken over to Lord Selkirk's tents, but the day was now too far advanced to proceed vnth all their examinations. They pledged their word of honour, that no further attempt should be made to obstruct the execution of the law, and that all measures of a hostile nature should be abandoned. Lord Selkirk, in consequence, consented to allow the prisoners to return to their apartments in the Fort. It appears, however, that sufficient precaution had not been adopted. It was discovered next morning that the seals were broken from several places, and that many letters and papers had been burnt in the kitchen in the course of the night ; — that a canoe loaded with arms and ammu- nition had been sent off, — tliat several barrels of gunpowder had been secretly conveyed from the Fort in the night-time, which were afterwards traced to a place of concealment among some brushwood in the neighbourhood ; and about fifty or sixty stand of fire arms, to all appearance fresh loaded and primed, were found hidden under some hay in a barn or loft, adjoining the Fort. In consequence of these discoveries, and the sus- picions that a surprise might be attempted by the Indians and Canadians in the Company's service, the greater part of the latter were sent to the op- posite side of the river; and their canoes were secured. — Lord Selkirk and his party came over 68 and piteh«d their tents in front of the Fort, where tb« guards vvere strengthened. The examinations of the persons apprehended having been completed, and their Declarations made out and signed by them, warrants of commitment were issued, and the parties sent off to tlie Attorney- Greneriil of Upper Canada, and afterwards taken to Montieal, in Lower Canada, where they were admitted to bail*. It is now necessary, in pursuance of the object of this narrative, to resume the subject of the Red River Settlement, and, in doing so, the reader will be en- abled to judge, from the documeitts which shall be produced to him (particularly the depO!>itions taken at Fort W illiam, and Montreal) how far the outrages directed against the colony, in the summer of 1816, ought in justice to be ascribed to the same persons who instigated^ and effected its destruction in the year before. It appears ne< essary to recal the reader's attention to that dnision of the Colonists who, refusing to be taken down to Canada in the summer of 1815, had * 'I be ^horl accuutit above given of the proceedings at Fort William, und of tbe apprebeiision of several ol the partners of the North- \\ est Company, is taken from a detailed statement which the tail ol Selkirk ofticiaily addressed, on tbe 21st of August (about a weik altei his arrival at Fort William) to Mr. Gore, Lieutcuaui-Goveruor ot Upper Canada.— With respect to tbe tuhsequeiit transactions at that place, see Observations subjoined to the Statement, page 157, &c. 69 proceeded^ under the friendlj escort of the ladians^ zs far as Lake Winnipic, from whence they went to the other end of the lake, and established themselves, for a sliort time, at Jack River ftouse, a station belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company They were soon afterwards joined by Mr. Colin Robertson, a gentleman employed in the service of that Company, who told the settlers, that if they chose to go back to the settlement, he would take charge of them, and carry with him sofiie men, who, he thought* would be of service in assisting them to re-establish themselves. They accordingly put themselves under his charge, and returned to the Red River, where they were, some time after, joined by a considerable body of emigrants, (chiefly from the Highlands of Scotland,) who had been written to, in the year before, by the settlers at Red River, and anxiously pressed, and encouraged by them, to emigrate to that place. — With this addition, the colonists amounted to upwards of two hundred. The greater part of them remained for some months, about ninety miles up the Red River, at its junction with the River Pembina, for the purpose of more easily procuring bufialoe^meat during the winter ; — but, early in the following spring, they were all placed at the original station of the colony, where lands were regularly assigned to them*. — II II II ... . . H.I ■ • When the settlement was broken up, and the houses burned, in June 1815, the crops of grain were much destroyed, — but after the North-West Company's servants, and the Half-breeds, had dispersed, the crops that remained were taken care of by Mr. John M*Leod, and a few men who had continued at the Red River, employed in the trading concerns of the Uudion's Bay Cwnpany. 70 It lias been already mentioned, that the two partners of the North-West Company, Mr. Duncan Cameron, and Mr. Alexander M'Donell^ had re- turned, from the annual rendezvous at Fort William, in the autumn of 1815, to the stations which they had occupied in the preceding winter; namely, Cameron to that at the Forks of the Red River, and M'Donell to that upon the River Qui Appelle, also within the Hudson's Bay territories, although several hundred miles further in the interior. — Neither of these partners expect^ to find that any of the Red River colonists had so soon attempted to re-establish themselves at the settlement. Mr. Cameron, how- ever, began again to molest and disturb the set- tlers; upon which Mr. Colin Robertson, who had taken upon himself the charge of them, seized his fort, or trading post, in the month of October, and recovered two of the field-pieces, and thirty stand of arms, which had been carried ofi* from the settlement, the year before. These, it may be recol- lected, Cameron had formerly refused to restore, holding at defiance the warrant which had been sent for the purpose of recovering them*. —In this pro- ceeding of Mr. Robertson, fortunately, no blood was shed. Cameron was released, upon promise to behave peaceably in future, and immediately reinstated in possession of his trading post. — Early in the ensuing spring, however, he was again ap- prehended, and taken towards the coast of Hudson's — By the middle of October fifteen hundred bushels of wheat, a considerable quantity of other grain, and a large stock of potatoes were safely housed. ♦ Sec Note, page 30. : mI : -t^v^ llJiM 1^5'h 'hit'; I-' si! -U^'il :i = eo b^P.' 3 ■> c a \H~,ii Uhi'^ O >,»!.;? • "s''! JC *^^'5'J I t .b 5''^^-■t^ < • j: 'iL5i« . 'i «> <"j->Glorions news from Athabasca*." On the same day he also writes to aoother of the North-West Company (J. Dougald Cameron) at the Sault St. Mary : — « I am in e I sent word that they should ail be here about ** the first of May. As for the Half-breeds alxnit English " River, Mr. Shaw has gathered the whole of them, as they ** come by water, 1 do not know what time (hey will be at *' the Forks. All that I have to say now is that I beg of " you and Bostonuis to keep the Half-breeds below united ** if possible, as for those here, I am sure of them excepting '' Antoine Hoole which I gave a set down this morning and "broke him.'* Grant writes ai^ther letter^ od the same day, to t. Dougald Cameron, at the Sault St. Mary. In this lie mentions — " The Half-breeds of Fort des Praries and English River ^* arc all to be here in the spring, it is to be hoped we shall *' come off with flying colours, and never to see any of them '* again in the colonizing way in Red River. In fact the " Traders shall pack off with themselves also for having dis- *' regarded our orders last spring according to our agree- " meats. We are all to remain at the Forks to pass the ** summer, for fear they should play us the same tricks as " last summer of coming back, but they shall receive a warm ** reception." t<*rom the depositions also it appears evident that the greatest exertion vf&s made by Mr. Alexander M*Donell to collect the Half-breeds, from every quarter^ for the purpose of prosecuting measures of hostility against the colony*. — Many of these Half- * See Appendix, [ V. ] page xxxiii. and [Y.] h breeds were collected from a very distant part of the countij: some from Cumberland House^ and also from the Upper Saskatcbawan, at least seven or eight eight handrcd miles from the Red River settlement. But, notwithstanding the great distance, various re- ports had reached the settlers, in the course of the winter, of the dangers which threatened them, and of the " storm gathering in the North,** which was soon to burst upon their heads. In a narrative which was written by Mr. Pritchard, one of the principal settlers, (then at the River Pem- bina, where he had remained during most of the winter, with about one hundred and sixty of the co- lonists under his charge,) he says, — " In the course of the \rin(er we were much alarmed by ** reports (hat the Half-breeds were assembling in all parts " of the North for the purpose of driving us away, and that " they were expected to arrive at the settlement early in the " spring. The nearer the spring approached, the more " prevalent these reports grew, and letters received from dif- *' ferent posts confirmed the same. Our hunters, and those " free Canadians who had supplied us with provisions, were *' much tenified with the dread of the punishment they *' might receive for the support they had given us. — My ** neighbours, tlic Half-breeds, began to shew a disposition *' to violence, and threatened to shoot our hunter Bollenaud's " horse, and himself too, if he did not desist from running " the bufFaloe ; at the same time they told me, that if I did *' not prevent him from so doing, they would go in a body *' on horseback, drive the cattle away, and cause my people ** to starve. *' In the month of March, Messrs. Fraser and Hesse ar- *' lived ai my neighbour's house, which gave us great un- 75 " easiness, as Frascr was represented as the leader of (lie " Half-breeds, and that he was a daring, and violent man*. " On bis arrival he sent a threatening message to one of ray " hunters, and whenever an opportunity offered, he was very *^ assiduous in his endeavours to seduce from us, our servants " and settlers; likewise a report was very current, that a " party of Half-breeds, and Cree Indians, were expected to ** arrive from Fort des Prairies, on the Saskatcliawan River, ** as soon as the melting of the snow would admit of their *' travelling ; and the language of every free Canadian we '' saw was * Mefiez vous bien {>our Taraour de Dieu; raeficz " ' vous bien.* At the same time we were informed that the " Half-breed servants of the North- West Company, who '^ were then in the plains, were ordered home to their house. " This assemblage of those men gave us the most serious " apprehension for the safety of the settlers, and those ser- *' vants wlio were employed to bring provisions from the *' plains to the fort." Governor Semple, who had been visiting several of the stations within the Hudson's Bay territories, arrived at the Red River in the spring of 181Gf . lo the month of April, he sent Mr. Pambrun to the Hudson's Bay Company's trading post on the River * Fraser had received a good education in Canada ; — and was once a clerk in the custom house at Quebec ; he was afterwards appointed a clerk in the North-West Company. He makes a conspicuous figure in the subsequent outrages against the colony, t Mr. Semple had been nominated by the Hudson's Bay Com- pany to be the chief governor over all their factories and terri- tories,—and had gone out, in 1815, to take upon him the import- ant charge to which he had been appointed. No person could be better fitted for the situation than Mr. Semple. — He was of a mild, steady, just, and honourable character. 76 Qui Appelle, who fouud, at the adjoioiogpost belong- ing to the North- West Company, a great number of the Brules collected. Mr, Pambnin embarked, in the beginning of May, with Mr Geori»;e Suther- land, (who had the charge of the Huiison's Bay Com- pany's trading post on that river,) and twenty -two men, in five boats, loaded with a considerable quantity of furSj and about six hundred bags of pemican*, chiefly intended for the support of the coli)ni8ts, till they could reap the crops that were on the ground. On the 12th of May, as they were proceeding down the river, they were attacked by an armed party of about fitly of the servants of the North- VV est Com- pany, (Canadians and Half-breeds,) under the com- mand of Cuthbert Grant, Thomas M'Kay, Roderick M'Kenzie, and Pangman Bostonois, clerks and inter- preters of that Company, together with Brisbois, one of their guides. — Mr. Pambrun and the rest of the party were taken prisoners, and carried to Mr. Alex- ander M'Donell, who avowed that it was by his order that they, and the provisions, and other property, were seized. — M'Donell stated, that he had done so in retaliation for Mr. C. Robertson having taken the North-West Company's fort at the Forks of the Red River, and declared that it was his intention ♦ Pemican is a species of dried provisions, generally prepared by the natives, from the buffaloe and deer. The lean parts of the meat are first dried by the heat of the fire, then reduced into a coarse powder, mixed with melted fat, and crammed iiito ba^ made ofthe skins of the budaloe. — Each bag contains aI)out ninety pound weight, and it is reckoned a good carcase, which yields a whole bag. 77 to starve the colonists, and the servants of the Hud- son's Baj Companj^ and make them surrender. The party was forcibly detained for five days, and then liberated, (under a promise not to bear arms against the North-West Company,) with the exception of Mr. Pambrun, who was kept a prisoner for six weeks. Mr. Pambrun had served as lieutenant in the corps of Canadian Voltigeurs during the late war with America, and, in one of the actions, had received a severe wound in his leg. When first detained as a prisoner by Mr. Alexander M*Donell, at his post on the River Qui Appelle, his wound broke out afresh, and threatened the lossofthelimb, but Mr. M'Donell would not let him go back to the settlement for the benefitof medical assistance. He said^ however, that if Mr. Pambrun would write to the surgeon of the settlement for medicine, he would send for it ; but, after the letter was written, he refused to transmit it. —It appears to have been an important object with Mr. M'Donell to detain Mr. Pambrun for the pur- pose of preventing him from communicating informa- tion to Governor Semple, and from assisting, with his military experience, in the defence of the colony. — As the party afterwards approached the Red River, Pambrun was closely guarded, night and day, by seve- ral armed men. About the end of May, Mr. Alexander M'Donell embarked in his boats with the furs, and bags of pro- visions, which he had seized. He was attended by a body of the Brules on horseback, who followed him along the banks of the river. They soon after- wards met a band of the Sautoux Indians with their 78 cliicf,to whom M'Donell made a speech, the purport of which was, that the Eng;]i8h* were spoiling the lands on Red River, which belonged to the Indians and to the Half-breeds ; that if the Indians would not drive them away, the North- West Company would ; and if the settlers resisted, that none should be spared, and the ground should be drenched with their blood. He did not, he said, stand in need of the aid of the Indians, but yet he would be glad if some of them would join hira. — None of these, however, would accompany him. When the party arrived near the Hudson's Bay Company's trading post at Brandon House, Cuthbcrt Grant was dispatched with twenty- five men, who took that post, and pillaged it not only of all the British goods, together with the furs, and provi- sions, belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, but also of the private property of their servants, which was distributed among the Canadian8,and Half-breeds, under Alexander M'Donell. — After this exploit, M'Donell divided his forces, amounting in all to about one hundred and twenty men, (including six Cree Indians who had been prevailed upon to accom- pany them from a great distance,) into separate bri- gades j under Cuthbcrt Grant, Lacerte, Alexander Fraser, and Antoine Hoole — and he nominated Se- raphim Lamar, (the Voijagciir Ensign of the pre- • The English, when mentioned in the Indian and Hudson's Bay territory, always means the servants of the latter Company, or the settlers, in contradistincliou to the Canadians and Ilulf- hrecds. 79 ceding campaign J his lieutenant^ or second in com- mand, under him. When this organised banditti arrived at Portage des Prairies, the plunder was landed from the canoes, and the six hundred bags of pemican, together with their own provisions, were formed into a sort of rampart or redoubt, flanked bv two brass swivels, which had formerlj belonged to Lord Selkirk's settlement. On the 18th of June, Outhbert Grant, Lacerte, Fraser, Hoolc, and Thomas M'Kay, were sent off, with about seventy men, to attack the colony at Red River. Their commander-in-chief, Alexander M'^Donell, in the mean while, prudently remained where he was, together with several of his officers, and about forty men, cautiously barricaded behind his portable redoubt of plundered provisions, and protected by artillery which had been stolen. On the ^th of June, a messenger returned from Cuthbert Grant, who reported that his party had killed Governor Semple with five of his officers, and sixteen of his people ; upon which M'Donell, Se- raphim Lamar, and all the other officers, shouted with joy. — M'Donell then went to the rest of the men who had remained with him, and announced to them the news, in language (as sworn to by Mr. Pambrun,) which we will not attempt to translate, *' Sacre nom '' deDieu ! — Bonnes nouvellcs. — Vingt-deux Anglois *^'detuesl»" It is not improbable that those individuals, who * Sec Apj>cndix, [V,] 80 have shewn such enmity to tlie Earl of Selkirk^ and his plans^ and who have eagerly circulated the cry of " Colonization being at all times unfavourable to the " fur trade/* will pronounce the deposition of Mr. Pambrun, as well as those of Lavigne, Nolin, and others, to be mere fabrications : — that his Lordship has been employed in examining persons at Fort Wil- liam upon his own affairs ; — and (hat no reliance ought to be placed on affidavits taken before such a magis- trate*.— Unfortunately, however, for such persons, and fortunately for the cause of truth, among other documents, are produced depositions taken, about the same time, at Montreal, fifteen hundred miles from Fort William, in which the circumstances are con- firmed by persons who escaped from the massacre. In addition io the information contained in these documents, a statement of the whole transaction was drawn up, and signed^ by Mr. Pritchard, who was present, and whose life was saved, with great diflS- culty, by the interference of one of the Canadians of the hostile party, with whom he had been previously acquainted. — Mr. Pritchard had been long employed in the service of the North*West Company, and had resided upwards of thirteen years at the Red River. On the first establishment of the colony, he preferred settling there with his family, and cultivating a farm, to continuing in the service of the Company, not- withstanding he had received from them strong as- surance of promotion. When the colony was broken * S€e Appendix, [V.] [W.] [X.] &c. &c. 81 up, in the year 1815, be had been driven from it witli those of the settlers who subsequently retired to the further end of Lake Winnipic ; and he had again returned with them to the Red River in the autumn of the same year. It appears that Governor Sem.ple was upon the point of returning from the Red River to York Fort in Hudson's Bay, on the concerns of the Hudson's Bay Company, when the reports, which had been for some time in circulation, of intended hostility against the settlement, began to increase from every quarter. Measures of precaution were adopted, and a watch regularly kept to guard against surprise. — On the 17th of June, two Cree Indians who had escaped from the party of Canadians and Brules under Mr. Alexander M'Donell, came to Mr. Semple at Fort Douglas, adjoinirjg the settlement*, and told him that he would certainly be attacked in two days by ih6 Bois-Brules, commanded by Cutbbert Grant, Hoole, Fraser, Bourrassa, Lacerte, and Thomas M'Kay, all in the service of the North-West Company, who were determined to take the fort ; and that, if any resistance was made, neither man, woman, or child, would escape. Two chiefs of the Sautoux Indians, hearing also of the intended attack, came and held a council with Governor Semple, and told him, in a speech, *' they were come to take their father's advice, " and wishedto know from him how they were to act ; *' that they were certain he would be attacked, and « After their return from Jack River House, the settkrs named the Governor's house, at the settlement, Fort Douglas. M 82 " that, if their father wanted their assistance^ they, '* and their }'oung men, would be ready to defend " him." — Governor Semple answered, by advising them not to interfere;— " But," said he, ''as we " are not sure of what may be the will of our Great " Father, I now give you a supply of gunpowder, " that, in case of my destruction, you may have the " means of procuring subsistence, for yourselves and "families, during the summer." Some of the free Canadians also offered io join him, but he declined their services, saying, that he did not wish them to fight against their countrymen. *'On the afternoon of the IQth of June," (says Mr, Pritchard in liis narrative,) "a man in the watch-LousQ " called out, that the Half-brecfls -were coming. The *' goircrnor, some other gentlemen, and myself, looked *' through spy-glasses, and I distinctly saw sonae armed *' people ou horseback passing along tlie plains. A man " then called out, they, (meaning the Half-breeds) are '* making for the settlers; on which the governor said, *' * We must go out and meet these people ; let twenty men "* follow me.* Wc prqcreded by the old road loading *' down the settlement. As wc were going along, wc met ** many of the settlers running to the fort, crying, * the <' * Half-breeds — the; Ilalf-brecds.'— AVhen we were ad- *' vanccd about three quarters of a mile along the settlement, *' wc saw some people on horseback behind a point of woods. *' — On our nearer approach, the party seemed more nume- " rous; on which, the governor made a hall, and sent for a ** field-piece, which, delaying to arrive, he ordered us io *' advance.— VVe had not proceeded far, before the Half- " breeds, on horseback, witli their faces painted io the most ** hideous manner, and in the dresses of Indian warriors, c^me ** forward, aud surrounded us in the form of a half-moon. 83 *' Wc then ex(enilcd our line, and moved more info tlie *' open plain ; and as tliey advanced, we retreated a few ** steps backwards, and then saw a Canadian, named Bou- <* cher, ride up (o us waving his hand, and calling out, ** ' What do you want ?' the governor replied, * What do " *^o« want?' To which Boucher answered, * We want " our fort.' — The governor said, * Go to your fort. '—They ** were, by this time, near each other, and consequently " spoke too low for me to hear. — Being at some little dis- '* tance to the right of the governor, I saw him take hold ** of Boucher's gun, and almost immediately a general dis- " charge of fire-arras took place ; but whetlier it began on " our side, or that of the enemy, it was impossible to dis- " tloguisi) : my attention v^as then directed towards my *' personal defence. In a few minutes, almost all our people " were either killed or wounded. — Captain Rogers, havin* ** fallen, rose np again and came towards me, when not ** seeing one of our party who was not either killed or dis- " abled, I called out to him, * For God's sake give yourself ** up.' — He ran towards the enemy for that purpose, myself '^ following him. He raised up his hands, and, in English, " and broken French, called out for mercy. A Half-breed, " (son of Colonel William M'Kay) shot him through the " head, and another cut open his belly with a knife, with " the most horrid imprecations. Fortunately for me, a '* Canadian (named Lavigne) joining his entreaties to mine, ** saved me (though with the greatest difficulty) from sharing ♦' the fate of my friend at that moment. After this, 1 was " rescued from death, in the most providentiid manner, no ** less than six different times, on my road to, and at, the ** Frog Plain, (the head-quarters of those cruel murderers.) " J there saw that Alexander Murray, and liis wife, two of ** William Bannerraan's children, and Alexander Suther- ** land, settlers, and likewise Anthony M'Donell, a srryanf, ** were prisoners, having been taken licfore the action took place. With the exception of myself, no quarier was (( 84 *' given to any of us. The knife, axe, or ball, put a period ^* to the existence of tFie wounded ; and on the bodies of the " dead were practised all those horrible barbarities which ** characterise ihe inhuman heart of the savage. The " amiable and mild Mr. Scrapie, lying on his side (his thigh ** having been broken), and supporting his head upon his ** hand, addressed the chief commander of our enemies, by ** inquiring if he was Mr. Grant; and being answered in *' the affirmative, ' I am not mortally wounded,' said Mr. ** Scmple ; * and, if you could get rae conveyed (o the fort, *• I think I should live.' — Grant promised he would do so; " and immediately left him in the care of a Canadian, who " afterwards told, that an Indian of their party came up, ** and shot Mr. Semple in the breast. — I entreated Grant to ** procure me the watch, or even the seals, of Mr. Semple, " for the purpose of transmitting them to his friends, but I " did not succeed. Our force amounted to twenty-eight " persons, of whom twenty-one were killed, and one " wounded, the Governor, Captain Rogers, Mr. James *' White, surgeon, Mr. Alexander M*Lean, settler, Mr. *' Wilkinson, private secretary to the governor, and Lieu- ** tenant Holt, of the Swedish navy, and fifteen servants ** were killed*. Mr. J. P. Bourkc, storekeeper, was " wounded, but saved himself by flight.— The enemy, I am *' told, were sixty -two persons, the greater part of whom ** were the contracted servants and clerks of the North- ** West Company.*— They had one man killed, and one * Mr. M'Lcan, who was killed on the 19th of June, was the principal settler in the colony, and the same person who had refused the large bribe oilercd him as an inducement to desert from the settlement the year before. — See Appendix, [P.] and [S.].-~He had been severely wounded in the attack upon the colony in the preceding summer. — ^The serfants of the settlement, who fell on the 19th of June, were seven labourers from Ireland, three from the Orkneys, and five from the north of Scotland. 85 "* wounded. — The chiefs^ who headed the party of our '* enemy, were Messrs. Grant, and Fraser, Antoine Hoole, * and Bourra.<:sa ; the two former clerks, and the two latter ** interpreters, in the service of the North-West Company. ** —-On the field I saw six of the North- West G>mpany*s " Canadian servants; namely, Boucher, Morin, Des ChampSj ** Joseph Hesse, Mageau, and Lavigne." By the deposition of Michael Heden, who was close to Governor Semple during this horrible trans- action, (and to whose affidavit particular reference is entreated*), it appears that Boucher, the Canadian^ advanced in front of his party, and, in an insolent tone, desired to know what he (Mr. Semple) was about. Mr. Semple desired to know what he, and his party, wanted. Boucher said, he wanted his fort* The governor desired him to go to his fort — upon which Boucher said to the governor, " Why did you *' destroy our fort, you damned rascal ?" Mr. Semple then laid hold of the bridle of Boucher's horse, sayings " Scoundrel, do you tell me so ?" Upon this, Boucher jumped from his horse, — and a shot was instantly fired by one of Grant's party of horsemen, which killed Mr. Holt, who was standing near Governor Scrapie. — Boucher then ran to his party, and another shot was fired, by which Mr. Semple was wounded. The Governor immediately cried out to his men, '' Do what you can to take care of your- " selves." But, instead of this, his parly appear to have crowded about him, to ascertain what injury he had met with ;— and, while they were thus col- lected, the Brules, who had formed a circle round • See Appendix, [C. C.J 86 tbera^ fired a general volley among them, by whicb the greater part were killed or wounded. Those who were still standing, took off their hats^ and called for mercy, but in vain. — The horsemen galloped forward, and butchered them. Heden, in his affidavit, further states, that he only observed three Indians among this party, and he saw none of these fire a shot, though he kept his eyes upon them a principal part of the time. — In the confusion of such a business, one might be dis- posed to doubt, in some degree, the minute accuracy of the deponent's observation ; but it is worthy of remark, that his deposition corresponds with that of Mr. Pambrun, who mentions that there had been six Indians with Mr. Alexander M'Donell, at his camp, some days before ; and, it may be recollected, that two of these had deserted from him, and brought information to Mr. Semple, on the l?th of June, of the intended attack. — The matter is not of much importance, except to shew, that the North-West Company had succeeded in getting a few Indians to join them, upon whom the blame might be sub- sequently throwti, if eVer there should be a questioa of blame on the subject. At the time of the mas- sacre, there was an encampment of Indians (Sautoux, and Crees) opposite to the settlement, but none of them took any share in the transaction. On thet contrary, they lamented deeply what had happened ; shewing mtich kindness towards the settlers, — and assisting them in bringing away, for interment at the fort, some of the dead bodies of those who had fallen. 87 Immediately after the massacre, Mr. Pritcbard was taken down io Frog Plain, a short way below the settlement, and where Cuthbcrt Grant had fixed his head' quarters. — " When I was at the Fro^ Plain, in their cnstody," continues Mr. Pritchard in his narrative, '^ Mr. Grant told ** me, that an attack would, that night, be made upon the *' fort ; and if our people fired a sinjjle shot, a general raas- ** sacre would ensue. * You see,' observetl he, * tUc littlo " * quarter we have shewn you ; and now, if any further ** * resistance is made, neither man, woman, or child, shall ** * be s|)ared.' — Fraser added in French, * Mr. Robertson ** * said that we were blach, and he shall see that our hearts " * will not belie the colour of our bodies.' — Being fully con- " vinced of the inevitable destruction of these poor souls, I ** asked Grant, if there were any means by which the lives *' of the poor women, and children could be saved ; I in- ** treated him, in the name of his deceased father, whose *' countrywomen they were, to take pity, and spare them. — ■ " He then said, if we would give up all public property, we ** should be allowed to depart in peace, and that he would •* give us a safe escort until wc had passed the North-West " Company's track in Lake Winipic, which he said was " necessary to protect us from two other parties of Half- " breeds, that were momentarily expected to come up the " river, one of which he said was commanded by Mr. Wil- " Ham Sliaw, and the other by Simon, son of lije Honourable " William M'Gilllvray. — This proposition I wished to "carry to Mr. M*Donell, the chief of the settlement; but " here a difliculty arose, as Grant's men would not consent " to my return —I addressed myself to them, and concluded ** by saying, * Mr. Grant, you know me, and 1 am sure will *' ' answer for my return, body for body,' — to which he " asscnted.—Scveral of them told me in a friendly way, to *' take great care how I acted j that I well knew that it was 88 '' impossible for inc to make my c&capc, and Uial if I lorfcitcJ ** my word, I should be tortured to death in the most cruel *' manner. — These people were greatly disappointed io ** not meeting with Mr. Robertson, who, (as they told ** me,) they would have endeavoured to take alive; and *' after flaying him, they would have cut his body into susall " bits, and boiled it afterwards for the dogs. ** On my arrival at the fort, what a scene of distress pre- *' sented itself! The widows, children, and relations of tho ** slain, in the horrors of despair, were lamenting the dead, *^ and trembling for the safety of the survivors. " 1 must here observe, that when I was allowed to leave " the Frog Plain, it was late at night, and (hat Mr. Grant *' accompanied roc, as my protector, almost to the spot on " which I had seen my dearest friends fall by the hands of ''the merciless savages. — The shade of night hid from my '* view what the dawn of the following day too clearly cx- ** posed, — their mangled and disfigured bodies. — From what ** I saw, and what I have been told, I do not suppose that ** more than one-fourth of our party were mortally wounded ** when they fell, but were most inhumanly butchered after- '* wanls. '* After having made three trips iOf and from the Frog ** Plain, Mr. Sheriff M*Donell (who had then (he charge of ** the settlement,) and the Half-breed chiefs came to an '* agreement in substance as before related*. — An inventory ** When Mr. Pritcbard arrived at the settlement, he found the settlers assembled at the Governor's house, or fort. — Upon his stating the proposals, which had been sent by him, for their sur- render, they declared they would not yield to the conditions required. Mr. Sheriff M'Donell therefore, allliough he was well auare that resistance would be useless, told Mr. Pritchard, that he could not consent to give up their post, while the men were inclined to defend it — The settlers, however, havini; had time to reflect on the dreadful situation to which the women and 89 ** of the properly being taken, the whole was delivered up " to Mr. Cuthbcrt Grant for the use of the North- West " Co"ipany, each sheet of the inventory being signed as " follows : — " * Received on account of the North-West Company, " * by me, " ' CUTHBERT GRANT, " ' Clerk for the N. West Co. *' ' Acting for the N. West-Company.* " In two days we were ready to embark, at which time " Mr. Grant came to us, and said he could not allow us to " proceed, as Mr. Alexander M^Donell (the North- West " Company's partner) had sent an order for our detention " until his arrival. This was dreadful news to us. We " were without arms, standing upon the beach, surrounded *' by the murderers, and in momentary fear of our wives and " daughters being violated, which it was commonly reported " would take place.— The day before, at the solicitation of " the settlers, I had been twice claiming the protection of " Messrs. Grant and Fraser on that head, who told me their ** intentions were only in regard to Iledcn's wife ; at the *' same time they promised me either to stop with us them- ** selves, or send such men on whom they could depend. " I reproached, intreated, and indeed did all in my power, « to induce Grant to let us depart ; at last, on Mr. Sheriff " M*Doneirs observing that he plainly perceived that Mr. " Alexander M'Donell (the North-West partner) wished to children would inevitably be reduced, should their resistance prove unauccessful, came next morning, and gave their consent to the terms which Cuthbert Grant haTould keep Ids word in spite ** of M'Donell, and desired us to depart immediately with- " out waiting for an escort, which he said be would send ** after ns in a liglit canoe. — We scrambled into the boats '* and put off. — Previous to the embarkation, I received a ** protection from Mr. Grant as follows : — '* This is to certify that Mr. John Pritchard has behaved " himself honourably towards the North- West Company, (Signed) "CUTHBERT GRANT, " Clerk to the North- West Company ^ The settlers, labourers, and otliers belonging to the colony, with their families, (in all nearly two hundred) having thus embarked in their boats, for the purpose of pursuing their voyage to the coast of Hudson's Bay, proceeded down the river, and, on the second day, were met by a strong party of canoes headed by Mr. Norman M'Leod, a leading partner, and a principal agent, of the North-West Coinpan}-, a " Major des *' Tribus Sauvages, et des pays conquis*," and a Magistrate for the Indian territory, under the Canada Jurisdiction Actf. From a person vested with such authority, the persecuted colonists might, not unreasonably, have looked, in their distress, for some little aid or com- miseration.— Driven from their lands and habitations ♦ Sec note, bottom of page 13. t 43rd Geo. III. c. 138. 91 Nvith unheard of barbarity 5— the bodies of their mas- sacred fathers, husbauds, brothers, and sons, Ijin^-, many of them, unburied on the spot \Yherc they fell*, — it would have been natural for these harrassed settlers to have hailed, with some faint glimmering of hope, the approach of one, who, to other means of power and influence, added the authority of a Magis- trate.—Mr. Norman M'Leod had also with him about ten partners of the powerful conmiercial body to which he belonged, whose authority would have strengthened his own, and there wore, in the canoes, nearly an hundred armed men ready to act in support of his orders. From him thetefore the colonists might naturally have expected " some of those aids " and comforts which arc derived from civil society;" — the anticipated deprivation of which had raised, in this country, such apprehension among the opposers of colonization, and had called forth, as we have already seen, that portion of the '' North- West Com- •'pauy's compassion," which appears to have been consigned to this side of the Atlantic. As soon as the settlers approached, in their boats, *o Mr. Norman M'Leod's party, the latter set up the Indian war-whoop, — and the tirst interrogatory •» Bonrke and Hedcn both stale in their affidiivits, that the Indians can)c and assisted in brinjjini; some of the Ijodics to the fort at the settlement, and also aided in huryin-r Utein. The latter (Heden) mentions tlut Ihcy were prevented Iroin bringing thein all in from fear of the iJniJes, and liiat tlie bodies "re- " maiuedon the ground a j)rey for the \vil«l 1'. .--its"— .thai ground, ^vhich Alexander M'Donell Jiad vowed, il resistance was made •'V the settlers, should be '* drenched with their Idoud." 92 put by the magistrate was, " whether that rascal "and scoundrel Robertson was in the boats ?" — la the same tone it was asked, if Governor Scmple was with them; and, when his fate was told to them, Mr. Pritchard was ordered to come ashore, and the whole party was disembarked for the purpose of having examinations taken by Mr. M'Leod accord* ing- io the due and regular forms of law. — Instead, however, of the usual symbols of Justice, — the sword and the balance, — this Magistrate had provided him- self with emblems of a more novel, but not less ap- propriate, description, — namely, two brass field- pieces, which had been stolen from the Earl of Selkirk the year before! — Such are the purposes to which the Canada Jurisdiction Act is perverted ; and such the persons who, under the fatal provisions of that legislative measure, have been, but too often, ap- pointed justices of the peace for the Indian territories in British North America. The settlers and their families having been disem- barked, the magistrate commenced his judicial ex- aminations by a general search into all the trunks, boxes, chests, &c. of the miserable victims whom he had got within his grasp. — Books, papers, accounts, letters, &c. (including those of Governor Semple, and also some other of his effects which had been hitherto saved,) were all taken from them. — " Dur- " ing my examination," says Mr. Pritchard,—" Mr. " M'Leod sent for all n)y papers, which were pe- " rused by himself and partners. They kept of them ** what they thought proper, and returned the rest ; " Mr. M'Leod saying, that ' those who played at 93 ** ' bowls, must expect to meet \?ith rubbers.* — He *' then gave me a subpoena from the court of Lower " Canada^ requiring my attendance for the 1st of '' Septen.ber, in a cause. The King against Spencer. " I was then ordered back to a tent, and soon after '' Mr. Sheriff M'Donell was brought in as a prisoner, " after which he was bailed to appear the 1st of Sep- " tember 1817, at Montreal, if required. — The set- *' tiers were dctaiiied a few days at this place, and as '' soon as they were gone, Mr. Bourke, myself, '* Patrick Corcoran, Michael Heden, and D.M'Kay, "' were placed together in a tent, with a guard of "' armed men put over us. — We remained here five "" or six days, trea^ted with the greatest indignity,*' &c. &c. &c. Mr. Pritchard, it seems, had further been directed by Mr. Norman M'Leod, to write, and deliver to him, a narrative of what occurred on the 19th of June, the day of the massacre. — ' You have drawn ' up a pretty paper !' said the Justice, ' You had ' better take care yourself, or you will get into a ' scrape.' — *' I replied," continues Mr. Pritchard, " what I have written. Sir, is truth ; I know not " what information you want. You had better put " questions to me, and which I promise I will truly " answer." * Yes, — yes,' — was his reply, and ordered " me to send to him D. M*Kay, who returned with " a subpoena against Corcoran for felony. — Corcoran " and Heden were likewise served with subpoenas " against Mr. Bourke for felony. — After these judi- " cial proceedings, a party of Half-breeds came into '' our prison, and put irons upon the hands of Mr. 94 '' Bourke, sajing, that they did that of their owu " accord as a punishment for his treatment of Mr. *' Duncan Cameron. — I must here ohserve, that Mr. " M'Leod the magistrate and several of his partners *' were then in the fort, and of course must have " sanctioned tijis act of the Half-breeds_, which was *' much ac^gravated by Mr. Bourke's being so dis- " abled from dressing his wound, which was still in '• a bad hlate*." Michael Heden was also examined by Mr. Norman M'Leod about the late transactions at Red River : — but the Justice, being no better pleased with the answers given by him, than with those of Mr. Pritchard^ told him '^ they were all lies ; — but that " to make him tell the truth, he would have him put *' in irons at Fort William;" and his worship was probably as good as his word : at least it appears, by Heden's affidavit, that shortly after he got to Fort William, he was thrown into a most horrid prison, and placed in strict confinement, — The grand council at that place, it seems, deemed it advisable, that, instead of his being any longer forcibly detained as a witness for the Crown, he should himself be made the subject of a criminal prosecution. — Accordingly, Mr. M'Gillivray, who was then on the spot, issued a war- rant to commit him. — By Heden's deposition it would appear, that tliis additional severity was resorted io, in consequence of a step which he had taken, with "♦For Iwo days aflcr llio liiaiojcit, Mr. Boiirke could gtrt no assistance for his woiiuij; till two Indiana came and kindly dressed it for Uiia. — t^ce Appendix, [B. BJ [»ii:c lii. 95 the view of saving the Earl of Selkirk from assas- sinatioQ *. A warrant was also issued by Mr. M'^Leod against Mr. Bourke,--who, being first robbed of his clothes, watch, and case of mathematical instruments, and put in irons, was afterwards carried down to Fort William on the top of the luggage in a canoe, without any attention being paid to his wound during that long journey. — In short, (for it is unnecessary further to report these laiv-cases^) the worthy magistrate for the Indian territory closed his sessions by securing some of the settlers by warrants, and some by subpoenas : — that is to say, in order to insure the subsequent appearance of the witnesses, io give their testimony in court before the judge, they were, in the mean while, made close prisoners by the justice ! — ^The parties who were to be prosecuted, and those who were to be evidence for the prosecution, were alike deprived of their liberty ; and, in order that they might become better acquainted with each other, they were all imprisoned together in the same place— r-with a guard set over them, composed of those very ruflkns by whom their friends had been butchered, and from whom they themselves bad, almost miraculously, escaped at the time of the massacre. In the whole of these proceedings, there appears such a horrible mixture of mock judicial solemnity, and real cruelty ;— such a medley of folly, and * Sec Bourke's and Heden's Depositions.— Appendix, [B. B.} P«ge li?. and (C. C.J page lix. 96 atrocity ; — of the semblance of law, and the sub- stance of injustice^ — as might, indeed, stagger the belief of anj one who has not had an opportunity of perusing the documents whixih have been col- lected. The rest of the settlers, and their families, were permitted to proceed on their dreary voyage, after having been thus unnecessarily detained for several days, consuming the scanty stock of provisions they had with them, which, as Heden states in his deposition, was not sufficient to last them one quarter of their journey to the coast. — No proposals were now held out, as in the year before, of free conveyance to Canada. — No gratuitous offer of lands in the Upper, or Lower Province. — No high wages — no flattering encouragement— none of those *' aids **^and comforts" which were last year to be derived from the boasted ''compassion of the North-West " Company." — Insulted, plundered, and robbed ; — deprived of the protection of their nearest and dearest relations, some by the fury of a merciless banditti; and others by the callous, and cold-blooded, perse- cution of a magistrate, they set out on their long, and dismal journey to Hudson's Bay*. — Of these * To notice individual cases of severity amid such a mass of injustice, would be an useless task — but it may be mentioned, that, in consequence of these proceedings of Mr. M'l.cod, Mr. Pritchard, (v^ithout any charge against him whatever, but merely by a citation as a witness,) was forcibly separated from his wife, though she was then far advanced in a state of pregnancy, and who (as he states in his narrative) never expected to see him 97 people, no certain intelligence bas since been received in this country ; and those who baye the best means of forming an opinion upon the subject, look for the accounts of what thej hare since suffered, with the most serious apprehension. What has been already stated might well raise a strong suspicion, that, although Mr. Norman M'Leod did not reach the Red River soon enough to share in the actual destruction of the settlement, he was on full, and rapid, march for that purpose. There could have been no other object in the numerous armed band of partners, clerks, half-breeds, &c. he brought with him. — It was evidently a preconcerted plan, that Mr. Alexander M'Donell was io pour down, upon the colony, his grand levy of Bois- Brules from the North, or upper country, while Mr. Norman M'Leod was to advance against the settle- ment from another quarter? The latter, indeed, does not appear to have supposed that M'Donell had collected so large a force as he had actually assem- bled. At least, when the ruffians, after they had driven off the settlers, came down the Red River to pay their respects to the " major des tribus sauvages, et des pays conquis," he graciously told them that again. Heden, his fellow-prisoner, against whom also there was no accusation whatever, and who was mereiy cited, in a similar manner, aa a witness, (See his subpcma at iJie end ofAppettdix, [C. C.]^ was likewise separated from his wife, who, as admitted by the Brule leaders. Grant and Fraser, had been particularly selected by the banditti as the intended object of their brutal violation. o 98 he had not expected to find so many, and that he regretted he had not brought presents of clothing sufficient to reward all of them for their services ; assuring them^ at the same tirae^ that those who did not then receive their remuneration, should have it, by the autumn canoes of the Company*. Some of those who were engaged in the massacre, and also in the robberies at Qui Appelle, and Brandon House, received their clothing afterwards at Fort William, as appears by Mr. Pambrun's deposition. Pambrun also states, that a Council was held at Red River, between M'Leod and those Bfules, and that he received them with open arms, and made them a regular speech; at which, however, Pambrun was not permitted to be present. But Lavigne, (the Canadian to whom Mr. Pritchard owed his life at the time of the massacre) was present, and has re- ported, in his deposition, Mr. Norman M'Lcod's harangue to the banditti f. The circumstance of Mr. M'Leod having thus cordially received, and rewarded, those persons who were active in the destruction of the colony, instead of taking measures to have the whole matter thoroughly, and legally investigated, may, of itself. » It appears by Blondeau's evidence, that Mr. M*Lcod dis- tributed, as rewards to the ruffians of the 19th of June, not only what he had brought with him to the Red Rirer, but also articles of clothing, &c. which had been seized, afler the massacre, from Lord Selkirk's stores at the settlement. — This was certainly a very cheap mode of paying them for their services. See Appendix, [Y.] t See Appendix, [W. ] page xxxvii. 99 be considered as strong presumptive proof of what he was himself preparing to execute. There is, how- ever, other evidence of his hostile intentions against the settlement.— It appears by Mr. Bourke's deposi- tion, that, whea he was on his way to Fort William, as a prisoner, he overheard a conversation which took place between Mr. Alexander M'Donell, and another partner, who had come up with the expe- dition under Mr. M'Leod, in which they mutually talked of the different measures by which it had been proposed to effect the destruction of the colony. From what was then said, it may be inferred, that M'Doncll's plan was to starve the settlers, — and M'Leod's to make a forcible attack upon them*. In addition to this, Charles Bruce, whom Mr. Miles Macdouell took with him, last summer, to the Red River, as an interpreter of the Sautoux language, has deposed, that they met, on the 24th of June, several of theSautoux Indians of the country about Lac la Pluie, who informed them, that Mr. Norman M'Leod, in his way up, had assembled the Indians of that neighbourhood, and proposed to them to go up with him to the Red River, to release Mr. Duncan Cameron ; and that if he (Cameron) was not given up, they would take him by force, and would give * See Appendix, [B. B.] page liv. Alexander M'Donell's intention of starving the colony into submission, is not only con- 6nned by Bourke's deposition, but also by the fact of his having robbed the settlers of the six hundred bags of prorisions, which was intended for their use, and that of the servants of the Hud- son's Bay CoropaDy.—See also Api>endix, [V.] page xxxiii. 100 the Indians^ for their trouble^ every thiug whicli might be found in the fort. These Indians further said^ that about twenty of their nation had accordingly joined M*Leod's party, some in their own canoes, and some in those of the North-West Company. This statement was confirmed by others of the Sau- toux nation. Another band from the same quarter, said, that five Indians had likewise been prevailed upon by another partner of the North-West Company, two days before, to accompany him to the Red River, ■where Mr. Norman M'Leod, and many of the other partners, were then assembling*. But, if any doubts should still remain of the Tiews of Mr. Norman M'Leod, they will probably be re- moved by the perusal of the following letter, addressed by him, and several other partners who were then stationed, in the service of the North-West Company, at their trading post at the Fond du Lac Superior. Fort William, Srd June, 1816. ** Gentlemen, " Oar intelligence from the Red River is ' vei V limited ; but what we have heard gives us much uo- * easiL^ess ; and, after various coosultations, we have come * to tbt^ resolution of forwarding an express to you, to ' request jou will, as soon as possible, assemble as many of ' the Indii^ns as you can, by any means, induce to go to the ' Red River to meet us there. We would suggest and ' require, that Messrs. Morrison and Roussin should bead * and accompany the Indians. Roe we expect to see at Lac ' la Pluie, and we shall not fail to send him also to assist * See Appendix, [A. A.] lai ** Mr. Morrison and Mr* Ronssin. We also mean to take ** a few of the Lac la Pluie Indians along with us. We " shall, and wiU> be guarded and prudent ; we shall commit *' no extravagances, but we must not snfles ourselyes to be *' imposed upon ; nor can we submit quietly to the wrongs *^ heaped upon us by a lawless, unauthorised, and inveterate " opponent in trade. " You will not hesitate to explain to the Indians the pur- '' pose ibr which we want them to meet us ; possibly and " most probably, their appearance may suffice ; but in any " case they shall be well and fully recompensed for their ** trouble. You who know the Indian character so well, ^' make use of that experience to collect as many as yon can ** in a short time, from fifteen to twenty, upwards, to one ** hundred. ** You will explain to the Chief, that we have king's *' officers and a few soldiers along with us, so that there is " not the least doubt of the justice of our cause. We start '* from hence to-morrow in five light caucus ; upwards of " fifty men in all ; and I think we shall be in Red River " about the l7th of June, where we shall have to meet, if '* not all that we expect, at l&ist Mr. Morrison and Mr. '' Roussin, with a few Indians, as an aroant garde. " Mr. Grant will take the whole weight and trouble of ** the affairs of the department on himself, no doubt, and " give Messrs. Morrison and Roussin all the assistance the " department can afford. " Since writing the foregoing, Mr. Parries has determined " to go to assist you, and proceed as quickly as possible to " Red River. I am convinced you will be most happy to " have his co-operation and aid, which you will find most " useful. — Some articles that you may stand most in need '' of, are also sent. *' The letters written yesterday, if Mr« Parries overtakes " the canoe, he will take. Positively no courier, or letters ** from the Hudson's Bay Company must be allowed to 103 ** pass; (bej must all be seiit to this place. A great deal " depends on yoar exertions^ gentlemen ; and we have great *^ confidence in tfae known influence of Messrs. Morrison *^ and Roussin over the natives. ** With much esteem, ** We remain, gentlemen, " Your most obedient servants, (Signed) «* A. N. M'LEOD, " ylgcru N. W. Co. « R. HENRY, " JOHN M'LAUGHLIN." Messrt. Grant, Morrison, and Roussin. The reader, in perusing this letter*, will, doubtless, have remarked how stronglj it corroborates the de- claration of the Chipewa Chief, (taken before the Council of the Indian Department in Canada) in which he states the attempts made by the North- West Company, and the bribes oflfered to him, to stir up the Indians of the Fond du Lac cotmtry, to commit hostilities against the Red River Settlemciitf , — It also completely confirms Bruce's deposition, in which it is stated that Mr. Norman M'Leod had prevailed upon a party of the Lac la Pluie Indians to join him and the other partners of the Company, in their expedition to the Red River J. — What the object of that expedition was, may be easily supposed, if, io addition to the other proofs, reference be had • This letter has been given in by two of the persons to whom it was addressed, and is referred to in declarations drawn up, and respectively signed, by them. t Sec Appendix, [U.] % See Appendix, [A. A.J 103 to the depositian of Sayer, a clerk and interpreter of the North- West Company, who was employed at Lac la Pluie by Mr. M'Leod to confer privately with one of the Indian chiefs, in order to ascertain whether he and his warriors would accompany them. Having obtained the chiefs assent to the proposal, all the Indians about the place were immediately invited to a Council, at which Mr. M'Leod, and some of his partners, were present. Liquor and tobacco having been provided, and placed before the Indians, Sayer, as interpreter, was directed by Mr. M'Leod, to make a Speech to them. The result was, that the chief, with a party of Indians^ joined M'Leod, and pro- ceeded with him towards the Red River. — Sayer has further deposed " that the expressions which he was " instructed to use in the speech, were such as the " Indians would certainly understand as implying an " instruction to go to war against the opponents of '' the North-West Company*." There is another circumstance, the proof of which is most strongly confirmed by the contents of Mr. M'Leod's (and his partners) letter above quoted; — namely, the anxiety which has been all along shewn by the North West Company, that some of the native Indians should be present at the acts of aggression against the colony, were it only as spectators. This seems to have been a constant object of the Company. — "Possibly," say these partners, — "and most '* probably, their appearance, may suffice ; — but in ** any case they shall be well and fully recompensed," • See Appendix, [E. E.J 104 &c. Ac. When unable to instigate the native In- dians U> actual aggression, the next aim of the Com- pany has been to get them to be witnesses of any hostile proceedings ; — thus to serve a double purpose — to raise alarm in the minds of the European settlers, and to furnish an opportunity of ascribing whatever mischief might occur, to the alleged hostility of the Indians. As an additional proof of this, it is worth while to notice the manner in which the intelligence of the death of Governor Semple and his party was first transmitted to this country. The earliest accounts which arrived of that event, were conveyed in two letters from the agents of the North- West Company in Canada, to their correspond- ing agents in London. The one was dated from Montreal, the 17th of August, — the other was from Mr. William M'Gillivray, dated Fort William, the 17th of July last. — To those who considered, with any degree of attention, the purport of these accounts, (and to which a very free, and a very premature, circulation, was given at the time) it appeared that, although the melancholy event could scarcely be dis- believed, the story itself bore, in many respects, a very dubious appearance. — For a time it produced, how- ever, the effect expected from it, and furnished the means of spreading calumny, and misrepresentation against the Earl of Selkirk, and his plans of colo- nization. The letter from the agents at Montreal, stated, among otlier things, that " Lord Selkirk's colony on '* the Red River has again been broken up, owing 105 '* to the mad and infatuated violence of Governor '' Sempic and his people, who fired upon a party of " Indians conveying provisions to meet the North- " West Company's canoes from the interior. — The " Indians returned the fire, and rushing' in upon "" Semple's party, put the whole, iijckiding himself, '' (about twejity in all) to death, execptirii^ one man, " who escaped wounded, in an ammunition cart. '' The Indians immediately after^ ordered away all " the settlers, with an iiij unction never to return, at " the peril of their lives. They offered them no " personal violence, and permitted them to carry ** away their private effects, but retained the Gover- '* nor'sand Hudson's Bay Company's property, which " the Indians divided," &c. &c. &c. — And the letter concluded with the old story of the compasst07i of the North- JVest Company : — '' We lament the loss " of life by such mad projects, whicli must open the *' eyes of the Hudson's Buy Company, and compel '" the interference of Government." In this short extract, the reader has probably remarked, that the Indians are distinctly repeated no less than four times, as being the persons exclusively engaged in this act of hostility, or rather (as the writers would have it) of self-defence. It was evi- dently a main object of this story, that what had occurred should be ascribed, in this country, to Indian hostility; — but the tale was very ill told. No one who knew any thing of the state of that country, or of the friendly conduct which the native tribes of Indians had always shewn towards the European 106 settlers, gave credit to the report of warfare having been carried on between them. At all events, it ap- peared a very unaccountable part of the story, that the sava«cs, after being thus wantonly fired upon, should, on gaining the victory, inimcdiately throw aside the ''indiscrirninating hatchet," — and, in place of scalping man, woman, and child, — sit coolly down, like prize a2:ents, — draw up inventories of the cap- tured property, — lay aside one portion, as being public stores, for the use of the captors, and generously give up another, as private etfects, to the vaiuj^uished! Those also who had known Governor »Sciiiple, were confident that he was not a n^an to have acted, towards the unofje ding Indians, vi'ith that '■' mad and infa- *' tuated violence," thus ascribed to him ; — a charge, which, ui the absence of all evidence, and Mr Scmple no longer alive to answer it, ought not t«) have been so wanto.* JUtalHbwt '^R^r ""i^^ KAF TO SHOW LANDS AT BED BIVEB CONVEYED BT INDIAN CHIEFS TO THB EABL OP 8ELKIBE IN 1817. 107 The other letter, which also brought intelligence of these occurrences to this country, was penned at Fort William by Mr. William M'Gillivray.~/fw story was better put together than that composed by the Company's agents, then at Montreal, — and no wonder, — for he had with him, at the time, one of his partners, who had just returned from the Red River, and who, knowing the facts of the case, could easily assist him in niixiug up such a com- position of what had occurred, with what had not occurred, as might answer the purpose, if not of misleading his Majesty's Government (to whom the letter was submitted on the part of the North- West Company) at least of bringing odium upon Lord Selkirk, and his plans. The detail of Mr. M'^Gillivray's account, it would be superfluous to enter upon. The substance is comprised in that part of the deposition of Mr. Bourke, in which be swears to a conversation he overheard between two of the partners of the North-West Company, wherein one of them, Alexander M'Donell, stated, that, although the sending down the half-breeds was certainly carrying things to an extremity — " it might " be said, that Governor Semple, and those with him, " had gone out to attack them, (the Half-breeds) ^' and met their fate*." This shrewd suggestion of that able partisan, M'^Donell, contains the ground- work of every thing detailed in Mr. M'Gillivray's letter, which finished with a climax not unworthy of one of those '* Heads of the North- West Company, * See Appendix, [B. B.] page liv. 108 " whose honourable character, and liberal principles' we have seen so highly rated in the year 1815, by the Provincial Government of Canada — namely, that he (M'Gillivray) thought it verij fortunate that none of the people belonging to the North- West Company ivere within a hundred miles of the spot, at the time, otherwise the blame would have been thrown upon them as usual ! This restless anxiety to make the North-West Com- pany appear innocent, before there was any accusation of guilt, raised a strong, and (as it has since proved) a well-founded, suspicion, that the persons, of whom Mr. M'Gillivray asserted none to have been within a hundred miles of the scene of augressiou, were in fact not only then upon the spot, but were them- selves the actual aggressors. The anxiety indeed which the principal Agent of the Company in Canada felt on the subject, cannot be better displayed than in his own words, by which it will appear that he anticipated, with no small degree of alarm, the attempts which might be made to discover the truth, and to expose it. Upon the 18th of July, the day after he wrote that letter from Fort William, which was laid by hit partners before His Majesty's Secretary of State, he addressed another, from the same place, to a gentle- man then at the Sanlt St. Maiy, and evidently with the similar view of impressing upon the mind of his correspondent, and of those to whom he wished his account to be communicated^ that the North-West Company were entirely free from any blame with regard to the occurrences at Red River. — 109 " The madness," sajs Mr.M'Gilliyray, at the conclasion of his letter*, '* for it cannot well be considered in any other light, " that could have induced Mr. Semple to attack a party of " armed mm, who were passinij quietly hy his fort, and " studiously avoidinj^ him, is unaccountable, but so it is, and " he has dearly paid for his temerity. The fact is, that the '< sysvith the other side of the case; in addition to which the reader's attention is requested to the following Observations, which the perusal of the • Nirrative" and *' Postscript " has naturally occasioned. By the Preface to the " Narrative/* &c. it would gecm that in consequence of the publication last year of Lord Selkirk's " Sketch of the British Fur Trade "^ in North America, with Observations relative to '* the North-West Companij of Montreal," a reply to that W ork had been intended on the part of the Company ; but, upon further consideration, it ap- pears to have been deemed more advisable tf» change the plan, and, instead of attempting to refute the charges contained in the *' Sketch " itself, (he more easy task was preferred of directing a person;il attack upon its Author. — *' The object in the following '' pages," as stated in their Preface, '' is not to '* refute the charges and calumnies of Lord Selkirk " against the North-West Company in general, but " io exhibit a faithful narrative of the occurrences ^' which had taken place since the Earl of Selkirk *' was first brought into their neighbourhood by his *' political or commercial speculations." — As there- fore the North- West Company have not thought fit to refute what is contained in the '* Sketch of the " Fur Trade," it is not unreasonable to conclude that they were unable to refute it : — and with respect to the ^' faithful Narrative of Occurrences," which they have substituted in the room of any attempt to effect such refutation, it will not be a matter of much difficulty to satisfy the impartial reader that their Work is far from deserving so honourable a title. 115 It is stated^ in their Preface, that the Agents, or " Representatives of the North-West Company have ** been furnished by their Constituents^ with the most " ample materials for their defence," and that the documents proving the authenticity of the facts and occurrences detailed in their Narrative, are throwa into the Appendix annexed to that publication. " To that Appendix," say they, " the reader's at* " tention is earnestly entreated ; and it will be found '^ to contain positive proof of almost every fact as- " serted in the text." — ^To that Appendix, the atten- tion of the reader of these Observations is also ear- nestly requested ; and, as the Representatives of the North-West Company place such reliance upon the documents which their Appendix contains, as afford- ing positive proof of the facts they have thought lit to assert, it seems advisable, previous to making some general remarks upon the Narrative itself, to examine the materials upon which it is thus stated to be grounded. — Before we notice the superstructure, it will be proper to inspect the foundation. These materials are comprised in twenty-nine dif- ferent documents ; which, as far as it may seem at all requisite to advert to them, shall be noticed in the order in which they appear numbered in their Appendix. No. 1. " Protest of Proprietors of the Hudson* s Bay '* Company, against the Grant to Lord Selkirk/* This document was adverted to in the preceding Statement, (page 7) and noticed as exhibiting one of 116 the early symptoms of that hostility Mrhich afterwards so strongly marked the conduct of the North-West Company with respect to the Settlement upon the Red River. — Nothing which was therein stated on the subject of that Protest, is controverted in the publication alluded to. Indeed, in the Postscript to the Narrative, it is now admitted that those persons concerned for the North- West Company, who signed the Protest, procured the Stock for the purpose of defeating the Grant to the Earl of Selkirk, or (as the Company's Representatives express it) '' the designs *' then meditated against their Trade." *' The Protest, however," they add, '' as a Pro- " test of Hudson's Bay Proprietors, must stand on *' its own merits*." Be it so. But whether it be a good protest, or a bad protest, it can surely afford neither excuse for, nor extenuation of the aggression* against the Red River Colony. — At all events those of the Company's Representatives who subscribed their names to that document, have contradicted, in their Narrative, what they asserted in their Protest, " To the Norih-West Company," they ob- serve in their Narrative, '' this establishment," (the Red River Colony) " was peculiarly objectionable : *' they denied the right of the Hudson's Bay Com- " pany, or Lord Selkirk, to any fart of the territory " ceded to him, of which their predecessors and " themselves had been in occupancy for at least a " century. f" In their " Protest," however, they * Postscript to Narratire, page Vi'-i. t Narrative, pag;e 9, 11 c fulljr admit evert/ part of the territory in question to belong to the Hudson's Bajr Company ; objectii^y indeed^ to the extent of the grant proposed to be made of it^ or^ in their own words^ to so large a grant of *' that part of the territory which is most valuable^ " — fit for cultivation^ — and constitutes no inconsi- " derable portion of the Company's Capital Stock." In another part they object to the Hudson's Bay Company selling ^' so large and valuable a portion " of their territory ;** and again^ they protest against the measure, " because^ upon a fair and impartial *' estimation of the future value^ and importance of " the lands proposed to be granted, and the limited *' and unproductive consideration to be given by the " said Earl, your Memorialists cannot perceive for ** the said Grant, any other motive than to secure " to the posterity of the said Earl, at the expense of '* the Stockholders of the said Company, an im- " raensely valuable landed Estate." — It thus appears evident that the Representatives of the North-West Company, or their Constituents, or both, admits or deni/, that the lands in question belong to the Hud- son's Bay Company, just as the admission or denial may chance best to suit their purpose ; and if, as far as the argument with respect to the Right of Soil is concerned, their *' Protest'* is to stand upon its own merits, their " Narrative," (as much, at least, as relates to the same topic) must, of course^ fall to the ground*. ♦ In the Postscript to their Narrative, (page 132,) the Repre- sentative* state that " it mmt always be remembered that it" 118 No. 2. *' Lord Selkirk's Advertisement and Prospectus of " the New Colony.'* This document was neither advertised^ nor pub- lished^ norj in any shape^ publicly circulated. It formed part of a sketch of which the Earl of Selkirk had a few copies printed for his own convenience, and for private circulation among a very limited num- ber of his friends, whom he wished to consult about the measures he was then entering into, as connected with his plans of colonization. — But even if the Prospectus, unfinished, and incomplete as it was, had been advertised and publicly circulated, which it was not, it may fairly stand, (in the language of the "Narrative,") upon its own merits. — But the Representatives of the North-West Company, in remarking upon its contents, have no right to alter or misstate them. This, however, they do even with respect to the very first sentence of the docu- ment, as printed by themselves. — That document states the soil and climate (with reference to the site (the Protest) " was signed by every person present at the " meeting except Lord Selkirk, and the members of the Direc- " tion." — This is not the fact. Their Protest was not signed by every person present at ihe meeting, except Lord Selkirk and the members of the Direction. — ^There were more proprietor* present (exclusive of Lord Selkirk and the Directors) who did not sign the protest, than those who did. With similar accuracy have they subjoined a Note to the Pro- test, as printed in their Appendix, in which they also state that (of the Proprietors present) " John Fish was authorised to vote " for John Hamborough, and did bo." — John Fish neitlier voted for himself, nor for John Hamborough. 119 of the Grant) to be " inferior to none in British " America." — ITiis is immediately translated iototfae Narrative (page 15,) and Lord Selkirk stated to have represented the climate and soil as being *' superior " to any in British North America.*'— With respect to the climate, those who represent the North-West Company admit (page 6) that " it is undoubtedly " healthy," and it does not appear that they elsewhere contradict themselves. It is otherwise with regard to the soil.— Ill their Protest it has already been shewn that, in treating of the grant, they describe it as forming a part of the Hudson's Bay Company's ter- ritory "^ which is most valuable, — fit for cultiva- *'tion/' &c. &c.— But in their Narrative (page 7) they state the country in the neighbourhood of the Red River Settlement as consisting of extensive plains, where " the soil, excepting partially on the banks of " the rivers, is light and unproductive." The following letter from Mr. Pritchard, (a gen- tleman whose name has frequently been noticed in the Statement,) written some years ago, will probably be deemed a better authority on this subject than the Narrative. " MoNTBEAv4M October, ISU. "SlH, *' In answer to your queries, concerning the climate " and natural productions of Red River, I have the honour ** (o present you with the following Statement : " I have resided thirteen years on Red River, and have " always been in the habit of cultivating its soil ; and from " experience can take upon myself to say, that the climate " is moch the same as in Upper Canada ; that is, the winters " are of a shorter duration, and much milder, than those " experienced at Quebec 120 •* Last snraracr I had water melons sown in the open <* ground on the 4th of June, which were ripe early in Sep- "tember; the largest weighing ISIbs. The musk melons *' and cQCumbei^ were as large, and as well flavoured, as I ** ever met with at a fruit-shop in London. Turnips sown ** the 25th of June, were fit for the table about the middle "of August. In October one of them weighed M^ibs. ** One bushel of potatoes will produce from forty to fifty ** bushels. ** Wheat, barley, and rye I have only seen in small quan- " titles; but 1 am of opinion, that no country will produce *^ a more abundant crop, or with so little trouble, as on Red « Ri?er. '* The natural produce of the soil, is wild flaar, wild rice, *' cherries, pears, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, bush ** cranberries, currants, plums, crab apples, and difFerent " roots, which the Indians prepare as food. The plains "likewise abound with medicinal herbs and roots. Salt ** springs are very common ; and the sugar maple is to be *' found in every point. '^ I need not mention the immense herds of buflaloe that ^' graze on the plains, or the number of elk and moose deer ** that inhabit the woods. ** A line, with sixty hooks, set across any part of the river, ** will give you from sixty to a hundred catfish per day, '^ each weighing from 9 to 251bs. besides sturgeon, and ** many other fish peculiar to North America, may be taken '' in great abundance with nets. In the fall and spring, *' wild fowl of almost all descriptions are very common. ** The general price of a bulTaloe, as large as an English or, ** is from twenty to thirty rounds of ammunition, or from ** three-fourths to one pound of tobacco. *' But the real value of the country, is the fertility of its '* soil, and the facility that Nature oficrs to the industrious of ** obtaining the reward of his labour. Here a luxuriant *' soil only asks the labour of the ploughman ; not a root or 121 " stump requires to be taken up. Tlie lands are already " cleared. The plains present you with a pasturage of '' many hundred miles in extent ; and your horses and cows, '* except those required to be milked, may be left out all " winter. In truth, I know of no country that offers so "many advantages: an exceeding wholesome climate, a '* fertile soil, fish, flesh, and fowls in abundance ; and sugar " and salt for the trouble of making them. In fact, all the '* necessaries and all the luxuries that are useful to mankind, ** are to be found there. Society only is wanting. " I (rust, my good Sir, you will pardon the cursory man- *' ner in which this is written. Being on the eve of my " departure, I hope will plead an excuse ; and believe me, '^ though hastily written, the foregoing statements are strictly *' correct. *' I have the honour to be, « Sir, ** Your most obedient humble Servant, " JOHN PRITCHARD." « COLIN ROBERTSON, Esq." No. 3. '' Admeasurement of the Distance and Stations " between York Factory and Lord Selkirk's " Colony ; hy David Thompson, Geographer to " the North' West Company." This document merits very little notice. — It would appear however, that, with respect to the contents of it, the Representatives contradict even their own Geographer. — He states the distance from York Factory, at Port Nelson in Hudson's Bay, to the Forks of Red River, (the situation of Lord Selkirk's colony) to be seven hundred and twenty- five miles : — ^but they, in their observation, subjoined to his 122 " Admeasurement," &c. call the distance from York Factory to Red River nine hundred and forty-five miles*. They appear, indeed, not only to differ from their Geographer, but from themselves^ having already, in their Protest, stated the distance from any sea port to be two thousand miles ! In their observation, however, with respect to the dreary, barren, and inhospitable tract between Lake Winipic and the coasts of Hudson's Bay they are more correct ; — a tract in which they state that " the " wretches who should chance to lose their canoe " must, io a certainty, perish!" — And (his was the region to which several of the partners of the North- West Company, headed by Mr. Norman M'Leod, the Magistrate, one of the principal Agents of the Company, drove the settlers, a few days subsequent to the massacre at Red River, after plundering them of their property, burning their habitations, and depriving them of their provisionsf . Nos. 4, 5, and 6. These contain the opinions of Counsel upon points submitted to them on the part of the North-West Company with respect to the validity of the Hudson's Bay Charter, &c. The two first. No. 4 and 5 (as likewise a great part of No. 6.) relate entirely to the right of exclusive trade specified in the Charter, and to the provisions * Appendix to " Narrative of Occurrence.*/ * No 3, pa^^t lO. t See page 96 of Statement. 123 contained therein for the purpose of maintaining that right, — such as preventing free passage through their territory, seizing persons and property^ confiscating goods, &c. : but as no attempt is made, except by Tague assertion, to shew that the Hudson's Bay Company claim those rights, it does not appear very obvious for what purpose legal opinions are referred to which militate against claims that are not made. — That these claims, in fact, are not made, may be gathered from the memorial* which was presented to his Majesty's Secretary of State, in February, 1814, by the Agents of the North -West Company themselves ; by which it appears, that the memorial- ists and their predecessors have, for a long course of years, and without obstruction to their transit, pushed their Trade through that very part of those territories, which, in their protest, they have admitted to belong to the Hudson's Bay Company, and which they stre- nuously admonished the Company not to part with. With respect to the document. No. 6, it cannot be thought requisite that any discussion should be entered upon, in these Observations. The legal opinions and argument contained in it are detailed at great length ; and the reader, on perusing, and considering them, must judge for himself. — At all events they appear, in their result, to be diametrically opposite to those inserted in Appendix, [A.]f , * See Appendix to Narrative, pas^c 57. t II appears doubtful whether the N. W. Company, in asking the opinion of Counsel, with respect to the validity of the Hud- son's Bay Company's Charter, ever submitted to such Counsel a copy of the Charter itself — When the Opinion of Mr. Gibbs (now the Lord Chief Justice of the Couit of Common Pleas) was 124 Nos. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Wc come now to the more important part of those *' ample materials/' furnished to the Representatives of the North- West Company by their Constituents, viz. the affidavits, depositions, and other proofs upon which the facts asserted in their Narrative are stated to be founded. The six documents, numbered as above, are depo- sitions of several of the settlers and others, who were brought down to Canada by the North-West Com- pany, after the destruction of the colony in the sum- mer of 1815. — The first of these (numbered 7) is ushered in by a note, in page 16 of their Narrative, in which they announce that, '' Amongst many other '" affidavits of the unfortunate people who were so *' deceived," (viz. the settlers deceived by Lord Selkirk,) '' one by George Campbell will be found *' in the Appendix, No. VII*." — In case the reader should not have the '' Narrative of Occurrences" at hand for reference, a copy of Campbell's deposition, (as printed in that publication) is inserted in the asked, he certainly neither was furni*hed with a copy, or even abstract, of the Charter. This appears by his answer to the 5th point, as printed in document No. 5, of their Appendix. * The assertion of the advocates of the North- West Company that Lord Selkirk deceived, cheated, and starved the settlers, is absurd on the face of it. — By the terms of his Grant, he was bound for so many years, under a heavy penalty, to send out annu- ally a certain number of persons to Hudson's Bay. It was besides his main and anxious wish and object to promote the increase of the Settlement which he had undertaken. And in order to encourage others to emigrate to the same quarter, he forsooth cheated and starved those who bad already gone to the Red River ! 125 Appendix to this Statement*, and by a perusal of it^ he will be fully enabled to judge whether its contents are entitled to the degree of importance attached to thera by those who have so triumphantly produced his affidavit. This *' unfortunate" man (Campbell) as the reader may recollect, was one of those, who, in the winter of 1814-15, deserted from the Red River settlement, where, as stated by him in the conclusion of his affi- davit, '' finding his treatment the reverse to what he *' was led to expect from Lord Selkirk's represeuia- '' tions, and for the reasons specified in this deposi- '' tion, he judged it expedient to return to Canada," (where, by the bye, he had never been) **^ and, for *' that purpose, requested a passage from Red River, " from Mr. Duncan Cameron, a proprietor in the '^ North- West Company, which was granted. — And '^ farther this deponent says not. — (Signed) " GEORGE CAMPBELL." The only sensible part of this affidavit is its con- clusion— '' farther this deponent says not." For had Mr. George Campbell "judged it expedient" far- ther to say, he might inadvertently have told the truths and thereby deserted the cause of his second patrons, as he had already, by his treachery, deserted that of his first. Had this " unfortunate man" gone on deposing, he might have chanced, and with tiie strict- est truth, to have added, *' And this deponent farther saith he was the principal person who deserted from * See Appendix, [F. F.] 126 the Settlement, broke his contract^ and defrauded his employer ; — that he not only did so himself, but acted as the ringleader, among the other deserters whom he prevailed upon io follow his example ; — that he afterwards headed an armed band, under the directions of the said Duncan Cameron, the North- West Company's partner, for the purpose of plunder- ing the storehouse of the Settlement, and robbing it of the field pieces, swivels, &c. which had been pro- vided for its security ; — that one of his brother deser- ters having been apprehended for assisting in said robbery, deponent, at the desire of said partner, again headed a party of armed men coni posed of the North- West Company's clerks, servants, and others, and by force of arms rescued the person who was so apprehended; — that, after depriving, as before-men- tioned, his fellow settlers of their means of eifectual resistance, deponent further "judged it expedient" to assist in attacking them with fire arms, by which several of them were severely wounded, and one of whom died of his wounds ; — that, after said colony was destroyed, and the houses burnt to the ground^ deponent was taken down by said North-West Com- pany to their trading post of Fort William in Canada, where he found many of the partnership then assem- bled;— that said partners received deponent with great cordiality and respect ; — that they praised him highly for his conduct, and did him the honour of placing him at table in their dining hall at Fort William next to themselves, and above the regular clerks in the Company's service. Deponent fur- ther saithj that a Book, or debtor and creditor 127 Account, was opened at Fort William between said Company, and said deserters, which book is marked and entitled *' The Red River and Colo- nial Register, 1815;"— that to his, (deponent's) account in said book is added, in the hand writing, and with the signature of said partner Cameron, the following ''faithful narrative," viz. ''that he, (depo- " oent) was a very decent man, and a great partizan " who had exposed his life for the North- West Com- " pany ; — that he had been of essential service in the " transactions of Red River, and deserved at least " £ 100 Halifax, and every other service that could •"^ be rendered to him by said Company ; and that " rather than his (deponent's) merits and services " should go unrewarded, he (Cameron) would give " £100 out of his own pocket, though already a " great loser by his campaign at Red River." Deponent further saith, that as a remuneration for said services in attacking the settlenient, pillaging the stores, burning the houses, and shedding the blood of his fellow settlers, he judged it expedient to accept said £ 100, from said Company*, and which sum was accordingly paid to him by one of the honourable Company's clerks, his worthy friend Mr. Robert M'Robb." Of a similar character with Campbell's deposi- tion. No. 7, are the " other affidavits of the unfortu- " nate people who were so deceived," and which are numbered (in the Appendix to the " Narrative") 8 to 12 inclusive. Of these the Representatives of the * See page 32, also Appendix, f S.] page xxviii. 1^ North-West Company, in a note in page 25 of their publication, say, " the best evidence of these, and " the future transactions, is that of the persons en- " gaged in them, under the order of M'Donell, "^ which will be found in the affidavits in the Appen- '' dix, viz. No. 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12." If the reader think it necessary io pay attention to these depositions, he may be informed that, of the Deponents, James Pink man (No. 9,) deserted in debt to his employer £18 3s. for articles deli- vered to him at the settlement. He also stole six guns, which he sold to the North-West Com- pany, and for which he received a credit, in the book of account before alluded to, of £10 15s. as appears entered in the hand writing of one of the partners themselves. Another of these unfortunate deponents, Hugh Swords (No. 10) had likewise an account opened with him at Fort William, in which credit is allowed him by the North-West Company for j216. 2s. \0d. for articles brought away from the settlement, and delivered to the Company. To this amount was added £20 as a reward for his services. What his services were is sufficiently evident, from the note, subjoined to his account, in the hand- writing of the North-West Company's partner, Alex- ander M'Donell. " His," (Hugh Sword's) *' beha- " viour towards us has been that of a true partisan, " steady, brave, and resolute man, and was some* " thing of a leading character among his country- "^ men, and deserves at least about £20." — James Golden, another of these unfortunate deponents (No. 11.) also decamped in debt to the settlement, (£19. \9sA His account at Fort William was likewise 139 written out, and signed bj the same partner^ Alex- ander M'Donell, and credit was given him for £ 13. 17a. 6d. being the amount of articles brought awaj from the settlement. And a further allow- ance of £20 for services which are also best described in the note subjoined to his account in the hand-writing, and with the signature, of the same partner, viz. " An active, smart fellow — left the " Hudson's Bay Company in April last — a true par- " tisan, steady, and brave — took a most active part " in the campaign of this spring, and deserves from "£15 to £2().-~He had lost about £20, by " leaving the Hudson's Bay Company a month be- " fore the expiration of his contract** But enough of these wretched Depositions, which are rendered not the less disgusting by being attested before a principal Agent of the North- West Com- pany, Mr. Norman IVPLeod — a fit magistrate to take such affidavits ! What reliance can be put on nar« ratives grounded upon such rotten materials ? or what dependance ought to be placed upon affidavits procured under the direction of those, who, to serve their purposes of deception, obtain Depositions by seducing and bribing the Deponents r* J30 No. IS. " Speech of the Grandes Oreilles, a great " chief of the Chippeways, made in the Indian " Hall, at the Forks of Bed River, on the I9th *' of June, 1814; addressed to several of the '' partners of the North-West Company. The "■ chief holding a string of wampum in his hands " tied at both ends." This Speech, with its magnificent Title, bears every appearance of having been composed, for the occa- sion, by those who wished it to be believed that the North-West Company had sufficient influence over the Indians to make them commit acts of violence against the Red River settlement, had such been the wish of the Company. Without at all admitting that the North-West Company possessed such influence over any consider- able portion of the native tribes, it should be recol- lected that, at the date of this alleged speech, those partners, whose outrages against the colony became afterwards so conspicuous, had not proceeded to the foul means hinted at in the letter of their partner, Mr. Alexander M'Donell, of the 5th of August, 1814*. They no doubt expected, at that time, that the settlement would be destroyed by what ihey con- sidered 'ds fair means, namely, by threats, intimida- tion, seduction, and bribery. And if these failed, ft * See page 11, Statement. 131 was time enough, as they thought, to have recourse to the hostility of such allies as the Grandes Oreiiles, and to raise the Indians against the settlement in the mode directed by their agent Mr. Norman M'Leod, in his letter of the 3rd of June, 1816*. The very first sentence of the speech of Grandes Oreiiles is sufficient to throw doubt upon its authen- ticity. *' Traders, my children, when I first heard " of the troubles you were in at this place, my heart *' became sorry, and the tears ran down my cheeks." A most unlndian-like acknowledgment, even after making every allowance for the figurative language of a Chippewa chief. But a Chippewa chief would scarcely, at a Council held with the Partners of the North-West Company, have addressed them in the words '' my children." He would have addressed the principal partner present by the title of " Father," and styled himself and his people " Children/' Thus in the speech of the Chippewa chief of Sand Lake, at the council held in Upper Canada by the members of the Indian Department (an extract of which, taken from the minutes of that Department, has been already referred to) he invariably addressed himself to the principfl raenjber present by the title of " Father," and was answered by him with the expression of '' my Child." When the Indian chiefs also carae to offer their assistance to Governor Scrapie and the settlers, they said, in the council that was held on that occasion, that they came to * See page 100, Statement. 132 ask their " Father's" advice; and that if their *' Father" wanted aid, they and their warriors would tome and assist him, &c. " Wliat/* exclaims Grandes Oreilles, speaking of the settlers, '* what are these land workers ? what " brought them here ? tvho gave them our lands ?'* (did the Chippewa chief select the words which were to be printed in italics ?) *' and how do they dare to '' prevent our Traders from purchasing whatever we *' have to gi\e them upon our own lands?" Our own lands! Who then, after all, are to be considered as the true and rightful owners of these most debate- able lands? The Hudson's Bay Company most per- tinaciously maintain that, by virtue of their Charter, these lands belong to them, — a claim fully admitted by those who were concerned for the North- West Company, and who signed the Protest against grant- ing away so large an extent of the Hudson's Bay territories. But in their Narrative (page 9,) the Representatives say that their Constituents deny the right of the Hudson's Bay Company to antj part of the lands in question, of which they state (heir pre- decessors, and themseves have had the occupancy for at least a century. This again is contradicted by their own Grandes Oreilles maintaining that these lands belong to the Native Indians, Then comes the principal Agent of the North- West Company, Mr. William M'Gillivray, claiming the territory in behalf o( the Half -breed Bois-Brules, " who," says he, " consider themselves as possessors of the country, "and lords of the soil*." And last of all, Mr. ♦ Sec note, page 35, of Statement. 133 Simon M'Gillivray, another agent of the Companj, makes his appearance, and entering a caveat against both Half-hreedSj and Whole-breeds, would make his Majesty's Government believe, that the lands in ques- tion belong to the United States*. It would be vain to attempt to reconcile these contradictions of the Company; and the hintwithwhichtheir own Chippewa Orator concludes his speech (if it be his speech) ap- pears not unaptly addressed to those who composed his audience: — " These are my words*' says Grandes Oreilles, '' and I have not two mouths." No. 14. " Resolutions of the Hudson's Bay Company, '' \9thMay, 1815." It seems unnecessary to occupy much of the reader's attention on the subject of this article. In pro- moting their views of establishing settlers within the Hudson's Bay territory, the Company thought it incumbent upon them to do all in their power to make regulations which might tend to secure as efficient an administration of justice as circumstances would admit. — The Resolutions in question were ac- cordingly founded upon the legal opinions which they had obtainedf, and were snbraitted to, and approved by Counsel. * See conclusion of Mr. S. M'GMIi way's letter to Eati BathoMt, Appendix, [D. D.] page Ixiv. t See the opinions of Sir Samael RotniUy atid the otiitr Counsel. Appendix, [A.] 134 " The resolutions/' (says the Narrative, page 45) " were, as usual^ opposed by all the members of the '* Company present, except the noble Lord, and the *' Committee, but these beina: the majority, opposi- " tion was ineffectual*. After some discussion the " names of the persons appointed io the different " offices were also communicated, and the surprise "of the persons representing the interests of the " Canadian traders, who were also members of the '* Hudson's Bay Company, may be easily conceived, '* when they learnt that Mr. Macdonell, against " whom warrants were issued on information upon " oath, of acts of felony committed by him, was " appointed the second person in command, and " administration of justice throughout the territories " of the Hudson's Bay Company." But, did the persons representing the interests of the Canadian traders imagine that the Hudson's Bay Company would, without better information, pay attention to' warrants alleged to be issued by such a magistrate as Mr. Norman M'Leod, upon informations, on oath, of such informants as Messrs. George Camp- bell, Pinkman, Golden, &c. &c. with respect to * No bad reason for an "opposition being- ineffectual," vh. it being left in the minority ! — With respect to the assertion in the Narrative that " the resolutions were, as usual, opposed by " all the members of the Company present, except the noble " Lord, and the Committee." this, " as usual," is not the fact.— There were none who opposed the resolutions but those agents of the North- West Company who were present, with the exception of one small proprietor of £\Q0 stock. 135 acts of felony which the lawyers, consulted bj the North-West Company themselves, state to be no felonj/?—'' From the best legal opinions in this " country/* sa> (he Representatives in a letter to the Secretary of State, of the 1st of February, J816, '"^il " will be impossible to proceed further, as the defen- "dants" (Mr. Miles Macdonell, and Mr Spencer) '' evidently acted under a misapprehension of autho- '^ rity, and no sufficient proof can be adduced of a '^ felonious intent*," — As the Representatives of the North-West Company thus pay proper respect to the opinions of their legal advisers, the Hudson's Bay Company may also be permitted to confide in the learned Counsel whom they have consulted, and by whose sanction the Resolutions alluded to were entered into. No. 15, 16, 17, and 18. These are depositions taken of several of the clerks and others in the North-West Company's service, and relate to the aggressions stated to have been com- mitted against that Company chiefly by Mr, Colin Robertson. — It may be recollected that after the dispersion of the settlers in the summer of 1815, when those of the colonists, who would not be seduced bv * See Appendix to " Narrative," No. 26, page 19, in which the Counsel employed by the North-West Company say that they (Macdonell and Spencer) could not be properly convicted on a chaise of felony. 136 tlie North- West Company, had gone to Jack River House, at the north end of Lake Winnipic, they were soon afterwards accidentally joined at that place by Mr. Robertson, who was engaged in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. — Finding that these settlers were disposed to return to the Red River, he volunteered to take charge of them ; and, with the addition of a few Canadians who were with hira, they accordingly went back to the Settlement*. Throughout the *' Narrative" an impression is attempted to be fixed upon the mind of the reader, by those who represent the North-West Company, that Mr. Robertson was an agent of the Earl of Selkirk ; and that whatever measures were adopted by that gentleman after the return of the settlers. Lord Selkirk is to be considered accountable for them. — Mr. Robertson, however, was neither an agent for Lord Selkirk, nor in any shape engaged, or employed by him, or under his directions. — Lord Selkirk, indeed, was ignorant, till the spring of 1816, that the Colony was re-established. Lagimouiere, the Canadian who brought from Red River to Montreal the intelligence of its re-establish ment, tound, to his surprise, that his Lordship was in that place. Neither Mr. Robertson nor the settlers knew that he was in America; and Lagimonierc, on his way back to the settlement, having been way-laid, and robbed of his letters, &c. by the directions of the North-West Company, and prevented from pro- « See page 68 of Statement. 137 ceeding to Red River*, the colonists knew nothing of Lord Selkirk's being in Canada, till they were informed of it after the second destruction of the settlement, when met^ in their journey towards the coast of Hudson's Bay, by Mr. Norman M^Leod and the other partners, as has been already statedf , The depositions above-mentioned (No. 15, 16, 17, and IS,) detail various acts of alleged vio- lence, and felony, ascribed to Mr. Robertson. If he has committed such acts, he, of course, will be amenable to the law for what he may have done. He will, however, be heard in his defence; and the reader who recollects what has been already stated relative to the plots which were discovered to be again preparing against the colonists, and '^ the '' storm gathering in the North," which was to burst on the heads of the settlersj, &c. will probably think that Mr. Robertson's defence will not prove unsuccessful. But whether the result be his acquit- tal, or his conviction, in neither case can it be admitted that his conduct, right or wrong, can, in any shape, excuse or palliate the aggression and outrage instigated by the North-West Company against the Settlement. No. 19. This is also a Deposition of one of the Clerks of the North- West Company; and ifs produced for the * See note, page 41 . f See page 90 of Statement. X See page 71 of Statement. T 138 purpose of proving that Mr. Alexander M'Donel!, the Company's partner, whom we have seen so active in the destruction of the Red River Settlement, in the years 1815 and 1816, meant no harm to the set- tlers, when he sent off his armed party of Bois-Brules under Cuthbcrt Grant, from the Portage des Prairies ; but that he directed them '' not to go near the " establishment or colony of the Hudson's Bay *' Company, near the Forks of the Red River, nor '' on any account to molest any of the settlers," &c. &c. — This affidavit requires no observation*. No. 20, 21, and 22. These Depositions relate chiefly to the proceedings which occurred at Fort William on Lake Superior, when Lord Selkirk first arrived at that place: — and as the accoujit of those transactions occupies a great part of the " Narrative of Occurrences," the remarks with respect to them shall be offered when we advert to the work itself generally, as referring to that part of the subject. — The substance of these depositions, (No. 20, 21, and 22,) shall then be noticedf. It should be observed, liowever, that, with respect to No. 20, viz. the Deposition of Lieutenants Brumbj/ and Misani, their affidavit purports to be " sworn " at Montreal;" but the name of no magistrate is affixed to it. — In ordinary cases such an omission would not be worth mentionuig, and might naturally * See Statement, p. 71. 79, &c. f See Observations, p. 159. 139 be ascribed to an accidental mistake in the copy, or to an error of the press. — But, in everj thing which relates to the " aniple materials" before us, the reader cannot be too much on his guard ; and in the case of the document in question, it is not at all unlikely that it will be subsequently found that no affidavit was made at all, or that, for some purpose which is not avowed, it has not been deemed prudent to annex the name of the magistrate by whom the deposition was taken. As the document however purports to be signed by two British officers, it shall be looked upon, in this case, as of equal weight with a more regular deposition, and considered accordingly. No. 23. " To the Right Honourable Earl Bathurst, His " Mqjestt/'s Principal Secretary of State for " War and Colonies." " The Memorial and Petition ofM'Tavish, Fraser, " and Co, and Jnglis, Ellice, and Co. of London, " Merchants, on their oivn behalf, and on behalf " of other persons interested in the Korth- West " Company of Fur Traders of Canada." This Memorial docs not appear to require much notice in these Observations. — His Majesty's Government to whom it was officially addressed were the best judges of its object and contents. The memorialists, it would seem, received only a verbal answer to their application, intimating that Govern- ment would attend to the subject, which was one of 140 great difficuliij*, — What the difficulty was is not stated. It was probably found not an easy matter officially to answer the application of parties who seemed, in their assertions, to take so little pains to be consistent. It could not reasonably be expected^ that the prayer of a memorial would readily be ac- ceded to, which applied fur a convoy to be granted by the Admiralty " io protect the property of the *' memorialists against any attempts on the part of •' the arn>ed vessels of the Hudson's Bay Company," without its being previously shewn (which does not appear to have been attempted), that that Company either had the intention, or the power, to molest them. Besides, a petition of " persons inter- *' csted in the North-West Company of fur traders of "^ Canada, "stating, among other misfortunes, that they had been obliged to conduct their trade through that country, Canada, for a long course of years, io great disadvantage, certainly could not appear very intelligible. " Your memorialists," say they, '' have *' hitherto respected the supposed rights of the Hud- " son's Bay Company, by not opening through the " territories which they claim as their property under " their Charter, the more direct, and expeditious " communication from Lake Winipic to Hudson's '' Bay, but have been contented, for a long scries " of years, to conduct their trade through the pro- *' vince of Canada to their serious inconvenience and ''disadvantage; the route from Lake Winipic io " Montreal exceeding in distance 2500 miles, and * See *' Narrative," page 139. 141 " requiring a period of 80 days ake it be cre- dited that, in the performance of his important duties, he met, from Lord Selkirk, and the gentlemen who accompanied him, with every degree of violence and obstruction. Notwithstanding his hurry and fatigue, however, it would appear (from the Journal at least) that he had leisure enough to sit down coolly and deliberately every day, for the purpose of composing his long story ; — carefully noting down, at full length, the events in their regular and daily course, and minuting in his diary all occurrences in due order and arrangement. — ^The object of this is very evi- dent. Those who represent the North- West Com- pany lay before their readers this Journal as an accu- rate statement, made at the moment when the events described io it are said to have occurred, and as being narrated by a person who was actually on the spot, and an eye-witness of what took place.— It is therefore expected by them, that the public should look upon it as a document of incontrovertible authenticity. To make it be believed that this *' sim- " pie and correct detail," as they terra it, was actually written at the time, sucb passages as the following are scattered^ with no sparing hand, throughout 168 the Journal of Mr. Jasper Vanderslu^'s: "^ Between ten and eleven this morning, the Earl of Selkirk/* Sec. " This morning past very quietlj," &c. — '* This morning Mr. M'Gillivray," &c.— '' This morning the captain of the guard," &c. — " We this afternoon addressed the following letter to the Earl," &c. — " At about ten o'clock last night his Lordship," &c. — " Nothing further remarkable occurred this daj," &c. — " This day has been a very busy one," &c. — '* The Earl's plans cannot now be a secret any longer," &c. — " At length the Earl's projects and views, so long disguised, begin to dis- cover themselves," &c. — '' I have just this moment returned," &c. — " While writing this, I receive information," &c. &c. &c. — This is all very well, and the purpose obvious. — But why did this " simple" journalist permit such a passage as the following to creep into his diary ? — On the 17th of August, *' they seized," says the journal, *' some papers of no '' value, and sealed them ; but I must not omit to " mention, that this bundle contains a Deposition of " one J^oliUy clerk to the Hudson's Bay Company, " written and signed by himself, in which, amongst " other things, he declares, that at the late action *' at Red River, the colonists, headed by Mr. Sem- *' pie, were the aggressors and first assailants:" — How came this " deposition of one ^blin" to be so anxiously adverted to ? Did Mr. Jasper Vander- sluys suspect that there was danger of evidence being collected, which might probably throw light upon the occurrences at Red River ? Did he begin to con- jecture, with the principal Agent of the Company^ 169 that " the story might be reported in a thousand ** wajs ; — that Mr. Norman M'Leod, and Mr. A. " aad Mr. B. of the North-West Company, "with " Brules," &c. &c. had destroyed the colony ? and did he hope that this part of his journal might tend to arrest the story in its progress*? — Do the Repre- sentatives of the Company also entertain a similar expectation by the question which they put^ in the Postscript to their Narrative, on the same subject ? " What has become of the deposiiion of tiolin, " mentioned in Mr. Vandersluys's Journal ? And " why has it been suppressed, and the present one," (namely, that taken before Lord Selkirk, and which appears in Appendix, [X.]) '' substituted in its "place?" The answer to which is, that as none else was received, (than that sworn to before Lord Selkirk,) there neither could be substitution, nor sup- pression.— It is very obvious, indeed, that the marked allusion, in the Journal, to the " deposition of one " Nolin/' and the question arising upon it in the Postscript t(^the Narrative, are intended to weaken or counteract the effect of Nolin's affidavit taken by Lord Selkirk. — But the reader will observe, that this latter deposition was not taken till the ^Ist of August, four days after the date of that part of Vandersluys's Journal, which has been so evidently contrived for the purpose of counteracting it ; — or, in other words, that Mr. Vandersluys, on the seven- teenth of August, attempts to obviate the effect of an affidavit which was not taken till the twenty- * See Statement, page 110. Z no Jirst of the same month ! If Nolia made any other deposiCioD, (of which no proof is adduced except Vandersluys's Journal) it must have been sent off, among the other documents which were transmit- ted from Fort William, without examination, (after having been sealed up by a person in behalf of the Earl of Selkirk, and another in behalf of the North-r West Company) and subsequently delivered to the Attorney General of Lower Canada, into whose cus- tody they were deposited in that state, for the purpose of being made such use of as his official duty might point out*. Throughout every part, indeed, of the composition of this Journal are to be found marks of fraud. — In grasping at too much, it has obtained nothing. If the separate and daily portions of it be inspected with any degree of attention, they will appear evi- dently to have been fabricated long subsequent to the periods in which they are respectively dated ;--in shorty it is obvious that Mr. Vandersluys's log book was not begun till after his voyage wasvcorapleted. — Can it be believed, for instance^ that when Mr. M'Gillivray, the principal Agent of the North- West Company in Canada, and seven of his partners wished to prepare a formal Protest against Lord Selkirk's proceedings at Fort William, they should have rc- * By Nolin's deposition, in Appendix, [X.] it ia evident that he could not, from personal observation, know who were the first assailants in the affair of the 19th of June, as he was not within almost a league of the spet, and had even sent a person to ascer- tain and report to him what wai ^oing; on. 171 sorted to their foreign book-keeper, Mr. Vandersluys, (who, it is well known in Canada^ scarcely understands the English language) to draw it up for thera ! "This " morning Mr. M'Gillivray desired me to draw up a " protest against the acts of violence committed yes- " terday. I had only a quarter of an hour to do it in, " and worded it briefly in the following terms." — ^This manifesto is accordingly produced, to which the eight partners then at Fort William, have affixed their names. — Of the assertions contained in it, one deserves to be noticed. Those men who had belonged to the DeMeuron Regiment, about twenty-five in number, whose assistance was called in by the constable to en- force the arrest of the partners at Fort William, who had resisted the warrants*, are termed " between fifty " and sixty disbanded and intoxicated soldiers." — This assertion is repeated throughout various parts of the Journal. " The Fort was now left in disor- *' der, and at the discretion of the intoxicated sol- " dieryf ." And again " Captain D'Orsonnens, the '' leader of these disbanded, intoxicated, and almost ♦ See page 66 of Statement. t Neither of the two clerks of the North- West Company who hare made the affidavits numbered (in the Appendix to the Narrative) 31 and 2S, and whose statements are produced as evidence of the outrages at Fort William, have said, that a single man of the party, that went to that place, was in the slightest degree intoxicated. Nor do Lieutenants Brumby and Misani mention one word of it; and iheir testimony " relative to the " military outrages committed at Fort William, is entitled to " particular attention, as coming from military men totally *' untODiiected with cither party.'* See " Narrative," page 69. 172 " uncontrolled soldiers, cried out ' aux armcs, aux '* armes,' and immediately the bugle was sounded, " and an armed force of about sixty in number with '' loaded muskets, and fixed bayonets, rushed forci- "■ bly into the Fort, shouting, cursing, and swear- " ing, and threatening death and destruction to all '' persons and all property. The soldiery were " strongly countenanced in this by their officers, " amongst whom the most conspicuous was the " aforesaid Captain D'Orsonnens, next Captain " Matbey, Lieutenant Fauche, Lieutenant Graffeu- " reith, and several more/' With respect to these alleged acts of daily vio- lence, the best contradiction to Mr. Vandersluys, is Mr. Vandersluys himself; for there is nothing which he asserts, however bold, in one part of his diary, but what is overmatched by his own counter- asser- tions in another. Who could suppose that, after all these horrible alarms which pervade his Journal, of " soldiers who appear to be thirsting for an oppor- " tunity to gratify their wishes for tumult and *' bloodshed" — and of " acts which would make a " French Douanier blush, and all this authorised, " instigated, and ordered by a man vested with the *' dignity of a magistrate," — that, notwithstand- ing this, we should find Mr. Vandersluys, on the 28th of August, the day when he left Fort Wil- liam for Montreal, stating that " I told him " (Lord Selkirk) that no agreement or conveu- " tion could be made whilst he laid down as a prin- " ciple the retention of a fledge, or indemnifica- ** tion ; but that^ as I was aware he was in disti ess 173 '* for manj articles, I was willing to consult with « M'Tavish on the subject, and perhaps let him " have a certain quantity of goods, by way of oblig- " ing him," &c. — So, after all, it turns out that Lord Selkirk, in full command at Fort William, " backed by a ferocious band of lawless soldiery, " with arms and artillery" — and, " committing acts " which would make a French Douanier blush,*' civilly asks the Book-keeper of the North-West Com- pany to accommodate him with those articles in the Fort, for want of which Mr, Vandersluys admits that he knew his Lordship was in distress ! — And yti this *' \eTj respectable person" does not hesitate to assert, " I cannot help remarking here, that at the time of " the French invasion of my own country," (Hol- land,) " I witnessed much injustice, and a defiance of " law and morality, with all the evils accruing to a " country over-run by a debauched and ferocious '' military horde, yet I saw no injustice so glaring " as what was committed by the Earl of Selkirk and '' his agents here !" But the day on which the feelings of Mr. Vandersluys appear to have been wound up to the highest pitch, was the 18th of August, when his diary assumes more the stamp of the German, than of the Dutch school. When Mr. M'Gillivray, and his partners, in consequence of the warrants of commit- ment, were that day embarking in their canoes, to proceed from Fort William, and when their Canadian •voyageurs, Iroquois canoemen, and Bois-Brules, were collected by curiosity on the beach,' — " AH our " brave and faithful men," says Mr. Vandersluys, 174 *' who were spectators of their departure, were silent *' as the grave! not from awe of Lord Selkirk's over- " whelming power, or his military precautions and " martial law, but from the natural feelings of their " hearts ; from the unaltered respect they bore for " their masters, and from the remembrance of their *' kindness. Some of these faithful men were not '* able to conceal their tears, and I saw, what perhaps " few have ever seen, — I saw an Indian weep!" — The name of this Indian is not recorded ; — ^probably one of the Grandes Oreilles family : — '* Traders, my " children, when I first heard of the troubles you ** were in at this place, my heart became sorry, and " the tears ran down my cheeks !" — But the reader has, without doubt, by this time, seen enough of the " Journal of Mr. Jasper Vandersluys," — a sort of spurious offspring, which the partners of the North - West Company seem more inclined to lay at the door of their foreign book-keeper, than to father them- selves. On the subject of the reduced soldiers of the De Meuron and Watteville Regiments, who accompanied Lord Selkirk, with the intention of settling upon his lands at the Red River, instead of taking the allot- ments to which they were entitled in Canada, the Representatives of the North-West Company have not scrupled to suffer the following passage to be published in their Narrative of Occurrences : — *' That he" (Lord Selkirk) " might have means suffi- '* cient for his purpose, in addition to about one hundred *• and eighty" (about one hundred and Ihirtj/) " canoemen, 175 " he engaged about one hundred and fiftj" (about an hurt- drtdf viz. eighty of the De Meuron, and twenty of the Watteville Regiments, which had been reduced), " foreign ** soldiers, with two captains and two subalterns of the ** Regiment De Meuron, a set of men whose conduct after- '* wards sufficiently justified the apprehensions entertained ** of them. They had been engaged in different services in f* Europe and Asia, and were partly formed by deserters ** from Buonaparte's armies in Spain. From that country " they were sent to America, where the regiment was just ** disbanded, and were fit instruments for the scenes of pil- " lage and plunder in which they were subsequently en» « gaged*." The best answer to such malevolent and slanderous aspersions, will be found in the following Garrison Orders, which the Reader will rejoice to have laid before him. « " Garbison Ohder. *' Malla, 4cth May, 1813. Licutenant-General Oakes cannot suffer the Regiment ** De Meuron to quit this Garrison, where they have so *' long been stationed under his command, without assuring *' them of the Kitisfaction which their good conduct, and *' attention to military discipline, have constantly afforded * ** Narrative," page 62. — See also the statement of Lieu- tenant Fauche, (Appendix, [K. K.]) by which it appears, "that " in 1809, when the Regiment De Meuron was at Gibraltar, His ** Majesty's Government authorised that all the Germans and ** Piemontesc, whom the conscription had forced lo enter Buo- ** naparte's armies, from which they escaped as soon as an oppor- '* tuoity offered, should be enlisted in Hi:; Majesty's serrice ; in *♦ consequence of which many came over and receiver^ the regu- ♦' lar bounty," — This is termed by the RepresenUtires of the North- West Company, desertion/ 176 ** bim; and which have been equally conspicuous in eyery ** rack. They will embark from hence, as fine' and well- ** appointed a regiment, as any in {lis Majesty's service. ** The Lieulenant-Gencral has no doubt but by their ** conduct and gallantry, on the desirable service on which *' they are about to be employed, they will confirm the '* high opinion he has formed of them, and will equally ** merit the praise and approbation of the General under '* whose orders they will soon be placed, to whom he shall ** not fail justly to set forth their merits. " He begs leave to assure this raiment of his warmest " wishes for their glory and success, and of the sincere •• interest he shall ever take in their welfare." (Signed) P. ANDERSON, D. A. G. The Regiment De Meuron embarked at Malta for North America, and after the peace, it, and the Watteville Corps, were reduced last year in Canada, upon which occasion Sir John Sherbrooke, the Governor-in-Chief, issued the following Garrison Order, which, as well as that of Sir Hildebraod Oakes, above cited, would do honour to any corps in His Majesty's service. *' Garrison Order. Quebec,26thjuly, iSl6. " In parting with the Regiments De Meuron and Watto- ** ville, both of which corps His Excellency had the good " fortune of having had under his command in other parts " of the world. Sir John Sherbrooke desires Lieutenant- *' Colonel De Meuron, and Lieutenant-Colonel May, and the ** officers and men of those corps, will accept his congratuta- " tions on having, by their excellent conduct in the Canadas, " maiotaioed the reputation which they have deservedly *' acquired by their former services. 177 " His Excellency can have no hesitation in saying, that "His Majesty's service in these provinces has derived im- " portant advantages during the late war, from the stcadi- " ness, discipline, and efficiency of these corps. (Signed) « J. HARVEY, Lt-Col. " Dcputy-Adjulant-Gencral.'* Such are the marks of approbation officially recorded by General officers who had the best means of appreciating the merit of regiments which had been long and honourably employed in His Majesty's service; and which the Agents of the Canadian Fur Traders now wish to hold up to the public as ^^fit " instruments for scenes of pillage and plunder !'* These scenes of " pillage and plunder" are, per- haps, what Vandersluys's Journal particularly adverts iOf (on the 14th of August, the day after the part- ners were apprehended) when it states that ** Lord " Selkirk and his party were very busy about the *' Fort, and carried off about eighty guns belonging " to the North-West Company." And, in the same item of his diary, he adds, that a new warrant had been issued *^ to seize all arras, under the frivolous " pretext that information had been given that a '' quantity of papers had been burnt the night be- " fore, and a number of arras concealed." The pretext, however, does not appear to have been quite 80 frivolous as the Journalist wishes it to be believed. The reader may recollect, that after Lord Selkirk had arrested the partners, on the 1 3th of August, he permitted them to go back to their apart- ments in Fort William, having pledged to him their A A 178 ^ord of honour^ that no further attempt should be made to obstruct the execution of the law, and that all measures of resistance or hostility should cease. It was also stated, that information was brought to him early next morning (the 14th) that the seals had been broken from several of the places which had been sealed the evening before ; that many papers had been burnt in the course of the night ; that seve- ral barrels of gunpowder bad been rolled out of the Fort; and that about fifty or sixty stand of fire arras, to all appearance fresh loaded and primed, had been found secreted near the building*. The cir- cumstances, thus mentioned in the Statement, have been since corroborated by documents, some of which are now added to the Appendix : — The reader is par- ticularly requested to turn his attention to the ac- count given by Mr. Fauche, who was at Fort William at the time ; and also to the narrative of M'Nabb, and the deposition of AlexandeiJ|raser, both of whom were likewise upon the spot. From these docu- ments it will probably be suspected, and upon no slight grounds, that instead of the " frivolous pre- *' text," stated in Vandersluys's Journal, as having been assigned for seizing the arms belonging to the North-West Company, an attempt was actually projected, at that place, to massacre Lord Selkirk and the whole of his party f. The following passage of the *' Narrative," being * See Statement, page 67. t See Appendix, [K.K.] [L.L.J [M.M.] • 179 connected with the proceedings of Lord Selkirk at Fort Williara, deserves to be noticed : — *' This simple and correct detail" (meaning Vanderslnjrs's Joamal,) ^' of the most extraordinary outrage which was ** cr«r committed against the laws of a civilized country, ** by a person of the rank of Lord Selkirk, will in itself " create suiBcient astonishment; but it is iaapossible not to " advert to other circumstances connected with it, which " still more aggravate the enormity of the transaction. " The persons arrested, after being treated with studied ** indignity and insult, were embarked as prisoners, under *' a guard o( foreign soldiers, in their own canoes, manned *' with their own servants, but not prepared in the usual ** manner for the accommodation of passengers : others^ fit *' ftheir safety of ** the most trifling importance. One canoe, in which three ** prisoners, Kenneth Mackenzie, Allan Macdonell, and ** John M'Laughlin, were embarked, was considerably ** under the usual size, and could not carry with safety " more than fifteen persons, with their baggage and provi- '* sions; yet entirely disregarding the representations and " remonstrances made of the danger to be apprehended, his *' Lordship ordered twenty-one persons to be embarked in '* it, and, as bad been predicted, in the passage on the lake *^ the canoe filled, and upset, in consequence of being so *'' oxxrloaded; Mr. Mackenzie, and eight other persons, " were drowned, and the survivors narrowly escaped with " their lives*." * Sec ♦' Narrative," page 102. ISO To the charge thus brought against the Earl of Selkirk (a charge which insinuates no less than a wish, on his part, to sink the whole brigade of canoes, — friends and foes, — constables and prisoners !) they have added a note, which is not unworthy of the passage in the tei.i to which it is subjoined. " How far the " Earl of Selkirk," say they, '* is legally responsible " for death thus happening in the prosecution of an ** unwarrantable act,* and while an innocent man " was under conveyance, by his orders, in a state of ^' unlawful imprisonment, may perhaps be doubtful ; *' but it cannot be doubted, that a heavy moral re- *' sponsibilitj' attaches to his Lordship in this transac- tion I" — The Representatives of the Company, having composed their Fable^ they could not do less than fol- low the good old custom, and add the Moral ; — but the Reader will probably wish to know the facts of the case, and to hear what some of those survivors, who narrowly escaped with their lives when the accident happened^ have said on the subject. " I, J. Baptiste Chevalier de Lorimier, captain of the ** Indian Department, certify, that on the 26th of August, ** 181G, having arrived at Isle au Parisien, Mr. M'Gil* *' livray made the brigade of three canoes set out during a ** great storm, contrary io the opinion of the rest of the ** party, and of the two guides. When we got about half ** way across the passage, Mr. M'Gillivray still persisting '^ io make for the Cape, I took it upon myself to steer for '' Isle aux Erables. The two other canoes then followed " me, in order to gain the bay, but, before we could reach *' the shore, our'i unfortunately sunk, when several werQ ** drowned. 181 « I further certify, that upon our getting ashore, and " Mr. M'Gillivray having come to condole with us, 1 «* reproached him with being the sole cause of what had " happened. All the other gentlemen of the party, as also " the canoe-men, then came and shook hands with me, ** declaring that I was the means of having saved the rest " of the brigade, and that, if I had not persisted in making " for the land, wc must all have perished*.'* Mr. Fauche, late of the De Mcurou Regiment, vhoRi the Earl of Selkirk had requested to take charge of, and accompany the prisoners to York in Upper Canada, has also detailed the circumstances which occurred with regard to this unfortunate acci- dent. He also, it would appear, has been accused of *' entirely disregarding the representations and remon- • Moi, J. Baptiste Chevalier de Lorimier, Capt. Ind. D^partement, certifie que le 26 d'Aofit, 1816, ^tant arriv6 a I'lsle au Paraien, Mr. M*GLHivr6 fit partir, dans nne grande temp^te, la brigade de trois candts, malgr^ moi et malgr6 les aatres messieurs qui ^toient de cette brigade, et malgr^ les deux gaides, pour entreprendre une traverse d'une ^tendue considerable. Je certifie de plus, qu'^tant a pea pres au milieu de cette malheureuse traverse, Mr. M*Gillivr6 s'obstinant a se rcndre au Cap, je pri« sur moi de gagner I'lsle anx Erables, qui se trouve dans le l>aye ; aussit&t les deux autres candts se mircnt a me suivrc pour gagner anssi la baye; mals malheureusement le candt ou nous ^tions cngloutit atant d'arriver a terre. Plnsieurs d'eatre nous se sont sauv^, les autres opt mallieureusement p^ri. Je certifie encore que, lorsque nous avons ktk rendus a terre, Mr. M'Oilliyr^ £tant venn nous plaindre, je Ini reprochai que cet accident n'6toit arrive que par sa faute. Alors tous les messieurs de la brigade, aiosi que tous les engages, vinrent me donner la main, disant hautement que j'etois la cause que le reste de la brigade s'^toit sauv^, et que si je n'«iuaf pas persist^ a gagntr terre, oons auiions tous p^ri. J. BT** CHR DE LORIMIER, Capt. lud. Depart 182 '' sfrancc« made of the danger to be apprebeoded," &c. — in short, of being totally indiiferent to the lafety of a party of which be himself formed one ! — Mr. Fauche had the charge, at Fort William, of getting the carioes prepared for their voyage. The three that were chosen for that purpose, were from among those in which the partners of the North- West Company usually travelled. — The crews were regular Indian canoemen in the Company's service. Is it to be believed that Mr. Fauche, Captain Dc Lorimier, the two skilful Indian guides who were with them, and the experienced old Indian chief, who was io have accompanied Lord Selkirk to the Red River, (and who was one of those who were drowined,) or indeed that any of the party would have embarked on such a voyage, in canoes, unsafe, ill- equipped, or ^' overloaded?"— V not to the unfor- tunate accident the party were upwards of a week in their voyage upon Lake Superior, but no appre- hensions whatever were entertained as to the *' safe " conveyance" of the canoes ; and, after the loss of the canoe which upset, several of the persons who escaped were next day distributed in the two remaining ones, which it is absurd to suppose would have been done, had these canoes been already overloaded. There was no necessity for such a distribution, as there were Indians with canoes on the island where the party took shelter, and by whom some of them were for- warded to the Sault St. Mary. — It may also be observed that in the canoe that was lost, there were three of the discharged soldiers of the De Mcuroq 183 Regiment^ who were to return to the Earl of Sel- kirk. Two of tbesCj a serjeant and a private^ wcr« unfortunate] J drowned. Mr. Faucfae has also declared that although be had the charge, or command of the canoes^ he always consulted Mr. M'Gillivray as to the arrangements of setting out, &c. &c. — ^This he was induced to do from the great experience which that gentleman possessed in the navigation of the Lakes, and he (Mr, Fauche) positively states that the day the accident occurred, he particularly asked Mr. M*Gillivray if he thought it safe to proceed, from the Isle au Paristen, and that Mr. M'Gillivray advised him to set out*. — Such is the '' enormity of the transaction^" which has been charged against the Earl of Selkirk by the Representatives of the North- West Company, who, although they gravely express a doubt as to his Lord- ship being legally indictable for the murder of the unfortunate men who were drowned, yet appear to entertain none at all, as to his moral guilt and responsibility! In concluding the Observations which have been submitted io the Reader with respect to the " Nar- ** rative of Occurrences," &c. it may be remarked how closely the advocates for the North-West Com- paBj follow the footsteps of their Canadian corres- * See Appendix, [K IC) 184 pondents on the subject of the unfortunate fate of Governor Semple and his associates*. The Indians must still be held up to the public as the principal^ if not the sole actors in that horrible scene. In erery pagCj — in almost everj sentence^ of that part of their Narrative, these Indians are conspicuously placed before the reader, for the purpose of persuading him that the result, so deeply to be lamented, arose from Indian hostility ** About fifty Indians and Half- breeds" we find dispatched with an escort of provi- sions by way of " an experiment ,'" — " The Indians and Half-breeds supposing themselves undiscovered." — " The fact of the Indians having actually passed that establishment." — "The facts, not even denied by the opposite party, that they marched out and fol- lowed the Indians." — '' The Indians and Half-breeds were all on horseback." — *' The Indians rushing in, Mr. Semple, and about twenty of his people, lost their lives." — *' The Indians and Half-breeds fortu- nately did not carry their resentment beyond the persons actually engaged in the affray." — " After this melancholy affair, the colonists complied wil- lingly with the terras prescribed by the Indians," &c. &c. Who were those Indians? To what tribes did they belong? Were they Crees, Sautoux, Scioux, Assinaboins, or their own Iroquois from Montreal ? All the persons who were actively engaged on the 19th of June under Cuthbert Grant (the Company's Clerk) must be knowo^ because they ♦ See Statement, page 104. 185 were subsequently remunerated for their services; some at Red River, and some afterwards at Fort William. But how does it happen that their own servant, Firmin Boucher, mentions nothing about Indians being present ? Boucher is a Canadian, in the regular service of the North-West Company, and who, they now admit, " happened to be with " th/'vi,''- although they publicly circulated, and officially communicated to His Majesty's Govern- ment, the positive assertion, that not one of their people had been within an hundred miles of the spot*! The evidence of Boucher can scarcely be disputed by the Company ; because " These particulars," they say, (meaning the affair of the 19th of June,) " are taken from the testimony of Boucher — who was *• carried down to Montreal, and other persons pre- " sent in the affray. It has not been deemed advis- " able, pending the legal proceedings which the case '* must give rise to, to publish the evidence of '* parties who may be implicatedf." — That is to say, the Representatives of the North-West Com- pany will state to the public what particulars they choose, and publish what they think fit: — they will not scruple to tell their own story from Boucher's testimony, or from any other testimony ; but they beg leave to decline producing his, or any other evi- dence> upon which that story is stated to be grounded. With regard to the testimony of Boucher, the advo- • See Stsitement, page 108. t See note hi page 53 of " Narrative." B B 186 cates for the Company must have either supposed ft to be true, or false. If false, the story they have founded upon it cannot be true ; and if his evidence be true, why do they not adhere to it? Boucher mentions only Boii-BruUs as being actively engaged on the 19th of June, stating the party in all to be about sixty-four ; but the Narrative rates them at a much lower number, and takes much pains io impress upon the mind of the Reader that the party was composed chiefly, if not solely, of Indians. — In order to enable the Reader to judge of this boasted testi- mony of Boucher, his Declaration (certainly not a very distinct document) is inserted in the Appendix*. It does not appear necessary to make any further Observations upon this "faithful Narrative of Occur- rences."— If the Documents which have been now submitted to the Reader, have excited his attention, he will have little hesitation in pronouncing that the Agents or Representatives of the North- West Company of Montreal have not only failed in their attempt io wipe off the stain which attached to their Constituents, but have fixed it more indelibly by the materials brought forward to defend them, and by the admissions apparent in that defence. " The '* attempt at Colonization," say they, tovrards the conclusion of their Narrative, " was in its origin, ** objectionable in every respect to the Fur Traden, * Sc« Appeudo, [N, N.J 187 *' and they do not deny, that (except in the protec- '* tion and assistance they considered it their duty *' to afford io their suffering countrymen,) after *' having ascertained the real object which the " plans of Lord Selkirk were intended to cover^ " they have done all in their power io render these " schemes abortive." — They have done all in their power to render these schemes abortive ; — to frus- trate that plan of colonization in British North America which they avow to have been, from the first, so objectionable io them, — Bt/ what means they have hitherto rendered that plan abortive, it will be the province of his Majesty's Government, incontrovertibly, and beyond the shadow of a doubt, to ascertain. When Sir Gordon Drummond, in the year 1815, informed the principal Agent of the North- West Company, that he had received a communication from high authority, desiring him to inquire what foundation there was for the alarm entertained by the Earl of Selkirk, and by the Hudson's Bay Com- pany, for the safety of their settlers, he distinctly stated, that if the apprehended destruction of the colonists by the neighbouring Indians took place, it could not fail to be ascribed to the North- West Company. '' The North- West Company will be *' considered responsible in the eye of the world, as '* well as in those of his Majesty's Government, *' for any such horrid catastrophe as I have alluded " to, whether arising from the instigations of ** their subordinate agents, or from the influenced 188 " malignity of the Indians themselves*." — The Indians, however, are fully and honourably acquitted of every charge either of actual aggression, or of hostile views, against the Settlement ; and, in the eye of the world, the North- West Company, and they alone, will be considered responsible for the catastrophe, unless they produce far more satisfac- tory proofs of their innocence than those documents which they have recently submitted to the Public. Nor can the hackneyed plea of character do away a positive charge of facts: " They refer, without fear " of disappointment," say they, " to the various " governors who have been appointed since the con- " quest of Canada, to that province, for an account " of their conduct as loyal and useful members of its " community.'' — But who, of the Governors of Canada, have had an opportunity of witnessing the conduct of the North-West Conjpany's partners, agents, and servants, in the interior, — thousands of miles from the seat of the Provincial Governments ? Or, who was likely to inform them of the lawless pro- ceedings in those remote countries? Many of the Company's partners, and others connected with that association, must themselves have been kept in igno- rance of the system which prevails towards the north and west of Lake Superior ; and is it to be supposed that those of the partnership who were well ac- quainted with that system, and who participated in • See the letter from the Deputy Adjutant-General to Mr; M'GUlivray, of 14th June, 1815, page 57 of Statement. 189 its vices, would furnish the Provincial Government with the information ? On the contrary, it is evident that every mode has been adopted to withhold the knowledge of what was going on in that quarter; and if the Governors of Canada have entertained a better opinion of the North- West Company than they de- served, it can in justice be only ascribed to the artful and powerful means adopted by the Company to conceal the truth with respect to their proceedings in the interior, and particularly on the subject of that conspiracy, which was eutered into against the Red River Settlement. It is not unworthy of remark, however, that the very same persons who declare the attempt at colo- Dization on the Red River to have been in every respect objectionable to them, appear by no means averse to take merit to themselves for establishing colonies elsewhere. When set on foot by Canadian Fur Traders, Colonization is honourable and praise- worthy— but, when planned and conducted by the Earl of Selkirk, it is mean and criminal ! The North-West Company, we are told '' have with a *' spirit of liberality and expense, in many instances '^ unrequited by the result of their undertakings, " explored the whole Continent of North America, ** and ascertained the geographical situation of " almost every river and district of those immense " r^ious. They have recently established a consi- *' derable and thriving colony on the banks of the " Columbia, on the Pacific Ocean, in direct com- " munication with their Settlements in Canada, 190 ** and are now extending tbeir inland trade south* " ward to the Spanish settlements of California^ *' and northward to those of the Russians at New " Archangel." — It would perhaps puzzle even their own Geographer to name the degree of latitude and longitude where this *' considerable and thriving " colony" is to be found — to specify from whom the lands were granted upon which it is established — or to state from whence the settlers have dropped who compose it. But if the Norlh-West Company have really established such a Settlement in any part of British North America, it would surely have been not inconsistent with their boasted humanity to have offered to the dispersed settlers from the Red River an asylum in this their new and flourishing colony, and ensured to them that ** protection and " assistance they considered it their duty to afford *' to their suffering countrymen," instead of driving them away with insult and barbarity to a desolate and inhospitable region. Whether or not that prophetic declaration which they utter in their Narrative will be verified, remains to be ascertained. — " Thus," say they, " was this " devoted colony, for the last time, dispersed : " and although its dissolution was sooner or later *' inevitable from different causes to that which *' now determined its fate, it could not have been " expected that it would be precipitated by so " much rashness*/' What those other causes of * See Hvntiwe, page 55. 191 its inevitable dissolution might have been, it is now immaterial to inquire, as they were not allowed to operate. Had the Colony, (as was observed in the Statement) been at all likely to fail from local circumstances, or causes inherent in its nature, the North- West Company would never have set on foot expensive and hazardous measures to destroy it ; — and the very last persons who ought to be listened to on the subject of the improbability of its ultimate success, are they who not only confess that, from the first, the Settlement was in every respect objec- tionable to them, but who have so substantially proved their hostility by reiterated endeavours to effect its destruction. To consider what measures should be adopted for the purpose of extending the protection of the law to those British subjects whom the circum- stances of the mother country are compelling to emigrate to various parts of our North American possessions, is surely an object worthy of the earnest attention of the L^islature. For, however unim- portant in a public view, may be the jarring claims or disputes of rival commercial establishments, there lias arisen from the transactions at Red River an object of far superior, and unquestionable import- ance— the necessity of putting a speedy and effectual stop to those acts of violence and outrage, of rob- bery and murder, which^ if persisted in, cannot fail to bring a stigma upon the British character, and arc a disgrace to any partj howsoever remote, of the 192 British Empire. In so important a subject of con- sideration^ the 6rst step ought to be a careful revi- sal of the '^ Canada Jurisdiction Act." If^ as asserted in the " Narrative/' that legislative mea- sure was introduced at the suggestion, and passed at the earnest entreaty, of those who were employed as Agents for the North- West Company*^ that circunoi- stance alone, at the present period, and after the occurrences which have taken place at the Red River, ought to be considered no slight ground for a revisal of the Statute. Many of those disgraceful occurrences took place under the eye of one of the Company's principal Agents and Partners, acting at the momei)t as a Magistrate for the Indian Territory under the sanction of that Law. But in place of assisting British subjects who stood in so much need of his protection, he only added insult and injustice to the miseries they had already experienced. He appears to have been too expert an Agent, not to look upon the Canada Jurisdiction Act as merely an instrument to be used for the purposes of the Company who employed him. Instead, therefore, of obtaining the correct information it was his duty to procure, and takirjg proper measures to bring the guilty to justice, he only used his authority to impri- son and put in irons, several of the settlers who had escaped from the massacre, and remunerated the Company's clerks, servants, and hirelings, who • See Preface to Narrative, page vii. and Appendix to Nar- rative, No. 24, page CO. 19S had been actively employed in driving off the colo- nistSj and shedding the blood of their fellow subjects. These circumstances, alone, appear to form a suffi- cient reason that the Legislature should revise the Statute alluded to, — that ill-judged statute, under the sanction of which, wintering and acting partners of the Canadian Fur Traders, with their roving Com- missions of the Peace, their warrants, subpcenas, and hand-cuffs, tyrannize, without restraint, in the interior of North America, over every one who offends them ; — detain their victims for years under their control ; — or, when more convenient, put them to death, as in the case of Mr. Keveney. If an inquiry into these subjects were to be instituted under the sanction of Parliament, it could not fail to prove of great national importance. But, iu the investigation, the Legislature must expect to meet with no slight degree of obstruction. Those who have reigned for so long a period in the distant regions of the interior of British North Ame- rica, uncontrolled by any legal restraints, whose do- minion has proved a scourge to the Indians, and a terror to their own immediate Canadian dependents, are not likely to permit the truth to be exposed to the British nation, through its representatives in Par- liament, without making every possible exertion to prevent it. The anticipation of these difficulties, however, instead of preventing, or delaying the investigation, ought to expedite inquiry, and render it the more rigid when once undertaken: — and the cc 194 result will too cle&rlj shew that, after the experience of nearly fourteen years, the Canada Jurisdiction Act has in no wise promoted the views of the Legislature ; and that, in place of forwarding the ends of justice by the punishment of offenders, and the prevention of crimes, it has, in its fatal operation, only furnished the means to sanction injustice, and to legalize oppression. [APPENDIX. APPENDIX. CONTENTS. Pag€ A. Of iNioKs of Counsel relative to the Hudson's Bay Company's Charter ---------j B. Transaction relative to a Seizure of Provisions by Mr. Miles Macdonell -------. jj C. Letters from D. Cameron to the Settlers at Red River _---------_. .iji D. Deposition of Michael M'Doneli ------ vii E. Deposition of John Cooper --.-._. yiii F. Deposition of Robert Sutherland - ----- x G. Deposition of Angus M'Kay ------- xii H. Deposition of Neil M'Kinnon ------- xi? I. Deposition of Michael Kilbride ------ xr K, Deposition of John Bourke ------- xvi L. Deposition of Hector M'Eachem ----- xvii M. Deposition of Hector M'Lcod ------ xii N. Deposition of George Sutherland ------ xxi O. Deposition of Patricit M'Nolly ------ xxiii P. Deposition of Alexander M'Letn ----- xxiy Q. Deposition of Joseph Kenney - ------ xxr R. Deposition of Donald M'Kinnon ------ xxvi S. Deposition of Michael M'Donell ------ xxvii T. Deposition of James Flynn ------- xxix Tliese relate chiefly to the measures taken for tiie destmction of the Red River Settlemeat in the year* 1814 and 1615. — See Statement, pag« 10, ct >eq. A general referoice is made to them in page t9. CONTENTS. Page V. Declaration of an Indian Chief before the Coun- cil of the Indian Department, Upper Canada xxx V. Deposition of P. C. Pambrun ------ xxxii W. Deposition of A. Lavigne ------- rxxvi X. Deposition of Louis Nolin ------- xxxix y. Deposition of Louis Blondeau ----- xliii Z. Deposition of Joseph Brisbois ----- xlv A. A. Deposition of C. G. Bruce - - xlvii B. B. Deposition of John Bourke, ------ jdix C. C. Deiwsition of Michael Heden ----- Ivr Tbese principally relate to the destruction of tiie colony in 1816, and alM) (particularly the two last,) to the massacre of Mr. Semple and his part)-. — See Statement, page 68, et seq. D. D. Letter from Mr. S. M'Gillivray to the Right Honourable Earl Bathurst, &c. &c. &c. - - Ixi E. E. Deposition of John Charles Sayer _ . - - Ixv F. F. Deposition of George Campbell Ixvi G. G. Declaration and Confession of Charles de Rein- hard ------------ Ixx H. H. Deposition of Baptiste La Pointe , - - - Ixxvii I. I. Deposition of Hubert Faye ------ Ixxx These relate chieBy to tlie marder of Mr. Keveney. — See Observationi subjoined to Statement, page 160. K. K. Account of the Transactions at Fort William, by Mr. Fauche, late Lieutenant of the Regiment De Meuron ---------- Ixxxiv L. L. Narrative of Mr. John M'Nabb ----- xcii M. M. Deposition of Alexander Fraser ----- xcv These relate principally to the proceedings at F«rt William, on Lake Superior, in August 1816. See Statement, page 64, and Observations, page 157. N. N. Declaration of F. F. Boucher xcviii APPENDIX. [A.] THE CHARTER* OF THE HUDSON'S BAY COM- PANY having been laid before Counsel, the following Opinions were given upon several of the Points sub- mitted to them. T V E are of opinion, that the grant of the soil contained in the Charter is good ; and that it will include all the coun- try, the waters of which run into Hudson's Bay, as ascer- tained by geographical observations. We are of opinion, that an individhal holding from the Hudson's Bay Company a lease, or grant in fee-simple, of any portion o( their territory, will be entitlecl to all the ordi- nary rights of landed property as in England, and will be entitled to prevent other persons from occupying any part of the lands, from cutting down timber, and fishing in the adjoining waters, (being such as a private right of fishing may subsist in), and may (if he can peaceably, or otherwise by due course of law) dispossess them of any buildings which they have recently erected within the limits of bis property. We are of opinion, that the grant of the civil and crimi- nal jurisdiction is valid, but it is not granted to the Com- pany, but io the Governor and Council at their respective establishments ; but we cannot recommend it to be exercised so as to affect the lives or limbs of criminals. — It is to be exercised by the Governor and Council as judges, who are to proceed according to the laws of England. The Company may appoint a sheriff to execute judg- ments, and to do his duty as in England. We are of opinion, that the sheriff, in case of resistance to bis authority, may call out the population to his assist-- ance, and may put arms into the hands of their servants, for defence against attack, and to assist in enforcing the judg* meats of the Court ; but such powers cannot be exercisal with too much circumspection. We are of opinion, tliat all |)€rsons will be subject to the • Granted by King Charies U. Aa. 1«70. a 11 APPENDIX. jurisdicdon of the Court, who reside, or arc found within the territories over which it extends. We do not Jhink this Act (43rd Geo. lU. c. 138*) fijives jurisdiction within the territories of the Hudson's IJay Com- pany, the same bein^ within the jurisdiction of tlieir own Governors and Council. We are of opinion, that the Governor (in Hudson's Biy) might, under the authority of the Company, appoint con- stables and other officers for t!ic preservation of the peace, and that the officers so appointed would have the same duties and privileges as similar officers in England, so f;ir as these duties and privileges may be applicable to their situation in the territories of the Company. (Signed) SAMUEL ROMILLY, G. S. HOLROYD, AVm. CRUISE, J. SCARLETT, JOHN BELL. [ B. ] Transaction relative to a Seizure of Provisions by Mr. Miles Macdonell. Mu. MujEs Macdonell, who was Governor of the district of Ossiniboia, in right of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's Charter, and had charge of the Red River Settlement, expected a considerable addition of new settlers in the Autumn of 1814, and being apprehensive that a scarcity of provisions might be felt, if early measures were not taken to obtain a sufficient quantity, he (in the month of January of that year) gave notice to the traders both of the Hud- son's Bay and North-West Companies, that, at the opening of the navigation, no more would be allowed to be carried out of the district, than what might be requisite for the consumption of those traders ; it being, as he thought, an indispensable duty in him io proviile for the resident inhabitants of the district. The traders of both Com- panies, who had collected provisions from the Indians (from whom they are generally procured), were to l)c paid a fair price for such as lie retained. Tiie Hudson's Bay traders accordingly deliverc the winter, if it should be wanted, for the use of the resident settlers. This agreement was not sanctioned by the subse- quent general meeting of the North-West partners, who re- fused to confirm the acts of their agents. An informatioa was laid before Mr. Norman M'liCod, one of their partners, and a magistrate for the Indian territory, who granted a warrant to appreh«nd Mr. Miles Macdonell on a criminal charge of burglary and robbery. Mr. Macdonell (though he did not admit tltat he was amenable to the jurisdiction under which the warrant was issued) surrendered himself, (for the reasons stated in page 26,) and was carried down to Montreal, where it does not appear that any trial has taken place. Mr. Spencer, the sheriff, bad previously been apprehended under a similar warrant, and carried away from the Red River settlement in the beginning of September 1814, and detained in the cus- tody of the North-West Company till the month of August in the following year, when that Company thought fit, at, length, to bring him down to Montreal; but his trial has not yet taken place. [C. ] LETTERS FROM D. CAMERON TO THE SETTLERS AT RED RIVER. To Messrs. Donald Livingston, and Hector M'Eachern, per Bosioiiois Pangman. Sirs, Gibraltar, lOth February, 1815. Your letter of the 28th ultimo, by Jordan, came safe to hands, and I am very glad that the eyes of some of you are getting opca at last to the situation you are IV AFPCNDIX. placed in, in ibis barbarous country, and that jou now see your past follies in obeying Ihc unlawful orders of a plun- derer, and, I may say, of a highway robber, for what took place here last spring can be called nothing else but naani- fest robbery. — But 1 am yery willing to forgive as many as Tepent of the poor deluded men, as 1 know that they are not bad men in principles, although made so by bnd leaders and bad advice. You say very true, wlien you men»ion ihat you did not know your friends from your foes; the greatest enemies ever you had, is Lord Selkirk, Doctor Auld, and Miles M'Donell, who vfas made a fool of by thera, and be made fools of all those that were under him I know all the bad usage you got, and the many injustices that were done to every one of you since you left your own country, the like 1 never heard hefore, and none but hard-hearted bad men would use their fellow-creatures in such a manner. In pity to your present deplorable situations, as I consider yoa to be in the very worst of prisons here, I accept your offers, and will l>e very happy to take so many of my countrymen and fellow-subjects out of bondage, as I know very well that Lord Selkirk will never take any of you home, whatever promist^s Miles M*Donell may make you to the contrary. — You have already been often deceived by both of (hem, and they will deceive you again and again, if they can, without being ashamed of it, as deception is their very best trade, therefore I'll be proud of being your deliverer ; 1 do not a«k you a penny for your passage or provisions to go out with; you are going to a gootl country, where you may make a decent living for yourselves and families; we'll oblige our- selves to get lands for those that chooses to take them, and will throw none of you on the highway as beggars till you can provide for yourselves. I have no interest whatever in making you these promises, but what humanity points out to me. — With regard to your wages, I can say very little on that subject without seeing how your agreements are made out, but it is not an easy matter to make any one lose his salary, which is not like another debt. If you can only get a copy of your accounts, and get them signetl l)y Miles M'Donell, we^l do our best to recover the money for you ; but if you could get drafts on the Hudson's Bay Company for the balance of your wages, I would myself be answer- able to you for every penny of it. 1 am told the great cap- tain is going to pay you a visit, you'll, 1 believe, find him a better master than usual, but you may thank mc for that, nnd not him, as he is afraid of what will soon happen to bim. I said last fall, when M^Vicar was abusing roe very mach, and very undeservedly, that I would, perhaps, be Uic appendix: t best friend evei tbe colonists met with, and I hope to make my word good to snch as will deserve it of me ; but, at the same time, I shall certainly be tbe greatest enemy they met ■with yet to any one that will again take up arms fo fly in the face of tbe law, or to plunder. — I remerab Mich aki, M'Donnell, late of Red River, to tcit^ \ in the territories of the Hudson Bay Com- pany, a clerk, in the service of Earl Selkirk at Red River aforesaid, now at the city of Montreal, in the province of Lower Canada, maketh oath, That about the eighteenth day of April last, the deponent, bcinsj then a clerk in the service of the Earl of Selkirk as aforesaid, was apprehended and made prisoner by the servants of the North- VV est Com- pany, under a warrant under iho. hand and seal of A. Nor- man M'Leod, li]sq. for an allcdgcd breach of the peace, and was conveyed and detained a prisoner at a fort or post in the possession of the said North-West Company, at a place called the Forks, at Red River aforesaid. — That while the deponent was detained at the said fort or post, the same was under the command and ordersof one Duncan Cameron, a partner in the said Nortfi-West Company, in whose custotly the deponent was. — Thai, on or about the tenth day of June last, the deponent being still in the said fort, an attack Avas made by an armed force, composed of persons under the orders of the said Duncan Cameron (who were furnished with arms and ammunition for that purpose in the said fort,) on tl»e settlement of the colonists at Reil River aforesaid, in the night of that day, and upon the return of the ])arty to the said fort or post, the deponent heard one Culhbert Grant, a man of the balf-bretni, and a clerk in the service of the said North-West Company, who had been one of tlie party by which tlie said attack was made, declare, that not a man of the said settlement should put out his head the next day without being popped oft*, and this was said in the presence and heiiring of the said Duncan Cameron, v»{\o acquiesced in, and approved of what was so said by the said Culhbert Grant. Ti)at the day following the said party of men sallied forth from the said fort about break of day to renew the attack on the said settlement, and upon their return, the deponent heard the said Grant, and one Seraphim, also a clerk in the service of the said Norlh-Wci>t Company, and others of the said party, speak of the attack which they had just made on the Government House in the said settlement, in whicii it was $aid some of the settlers or persons residing in the colony bad been wounded, and several of them boastetl of what they bad done. That the consequence of the said attacks was a surrender of the said settlement to the said Duncau tlil APPENDIX, Cameron, and the houses and buildings of all descriptions were afterwards burnt by the persons aforesaid, being under the commancJ and orders of the said Duncan Cameron, and the setders and inhabitants of the colony conveyed away by, or oi»der, the orders of the said Duncan Cameron.— That, after the destruction of the said settlement as afore- said, the deponent, while a prisoner in the said fort, was present at part of a speech made by Alexander M'DonclI, one of the partners in the said North- West Company, to the persons in the said fort, in which he assured the Canadians, and Jndians of the half-breed, by whom the said settlement had been drsfroyetl, that they would be supported by the said JNoifh-West Company in every thing they had done. That the deponent has heard the said Duncan Cameron and Alexander M'Doneil say, that the settlement aforesaid could not succeed without the countenance of the said North- West Company, and he has also heard them declare that there should be no seltleraeut there. That while the depo- nent was a prisoner as aforesaid, various inducements were held out to him by the said Duncan Cameron and Alexander M*Donell, to enter into the service of the said Norlh-West Company, which he declined doing. That while the depo- nent was in the said fort, he saw there horses, muskets, oannon, and farminor utensils, which had belonged to the said colony, and which were then in the use of the persons in the said fort. (Signed) MICHAEL M'DONNELL. Sworn at Montreal, this 20th day of September, 18 Jo, before me, (Signed) THOMAS M'CORD, J. R [E. ] Deposition of John Coopet. Home District^} Thg information of John Cooper, York, to tcit. $ late of Red River, in the district of Ossiniboia, territories of the Hudson's Bay Company, who, being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists, saitb, that he went" from Orkney, in the year 18 II, as an indented servant, and arrived at Red River in autumn 1812, along with Miles Macdoncil, Esq. governor of the settlement, and continned under his command till the expiration of his contract in 1814, at which time be, the dciwncot, was entitled to a free APPENDIX, IX passage home, and might have gone home if he had desired it, but he preferred remaining at Red River as a settler. — That he married about the end of the year 1813, and that next spring, before his contracteil period of service was expired, he was allowed to plant a piece of ground with potatoes for his own use, from which he had an abundant crop. — That roost of the crops had been reaped while the deponent was absent from the settlement, but he was informed that the crops of wheat and barley were good ; that he, the deponent, had no intention of leaving Red River, and never applied to the Nortli«West Company for the means of going away; but that early last winter Mr. Duncan Cameron, master of the trading post of the said North-West Company on Red River, advised him, depo- nent, to go to Canada, and offered to procure the means of conveyance for him, saying, that he should Ikj brought to a good country, where the settlers might save their lives, and be in a good situation. He, the said Duncan Cameron, also told him, deponent, that the Indians intended to destroy the settlers at Red River, men, women, and children, and were restrained only by the influence of himself, the said Duncan Cameron; that these representations were repeated to the deponent several different times before he agreed to come away from the settlement, and he did not agree till he heard that a great many of the other settlers had resolved to go. That on the morning of the day when the cannon of tfie colony were taken away by the settlers, George Campbell came to the house of Neil M'Kinnon, where deponent resided, and read to them a paper or letter from the said Duncan Cameron, saying, that (he settlers must take the cannon, otherwise they would themselves be in danger from them. He, deponent, would not agree to assist in removing the cannon, but agreed to go along with George Campbell into ihe house occupied by the officers of the settlement, in order to deliver Mr. Duncan Cameron's letter ; that, while they were thus engaged, (he cannon had been taken out by others of the settlers, and placed on sledges, on which they were carried away; and when he, deponent, came out of the house, he saw the said Duncan Cameron, who was coming out of a wood at a short distance, arid went with the settlers and the cannon to his own fort or trading post, where he took in the cannon, and entertained, with drams, all those who had assisted in bringing them. — That the deponent soon after left the settlement, and went to another trading poii of the North- West Company, from which he returned m tlie month of May, and staid for ten or twelve days at the aforesaid fort on Red River, where he b X APPENDIX. saw a great number of men assembled. There were many more of (he Canadian servants of the North- West Company than had been there during the winter. — Also, about thirty half-Indians, who expressefl violent hostility against the setllenient. — He, deponent, had been, in the course of the winter, in the plains near Pfmbina, where he saw the same haif*indians, and heard (hem express the same hostility agiiinst the settlement ; but the deponent never saw any thing of the same kind during the two preceding winters ; that, ou the contrary, many of the same half-Indians were then in the habit of trading with the officers of the settle- racnf, and supplying them with buffaloe meat and other game, witich they refused to sell last winter. (Signed) JOHN COOPER. Sworn before me, at York, the I2ih day of February, 18 i6. (Signed) ALEXANDER WOOD, J. P. [ F. ] Deposition of Robert Sutherland. Home District, I The information of Robert Salher- to mtf } land, late of Red River, in the district t)t Oasiniboia, territories of the Hudson's Bay Company. Deponent being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists, sailli, that he arrived at lied River in June 1814, and was well pleased with the appearance of the country; that the crops which he saw in the ensuing harvest were very good ; and the wheat was good. That he, deponent, understood that the settlers in general were as well pleased as himself, nor thought of leaving the country till after the arrest oC Mr. Spencer ; and the deponent is of opinion, that if Mr. Spencer had not been taken away, none of the settlers would have thought of leaving the country. That the deponent never observed any appearance of hostility among the Indians, whom they, the settlers, saw during the summer, nor entertained any apprehension of danger, till they, the settlers, heard from the servants of the North- West Com- pany, that Duncan Cameron, master of this trading post of the said Company, told deponent and his wife, that the Indians would come in the spring, and murder all the settlers, after he, Duncan Cameron, would leave the place APPENDIX. XI ill (he spriniT, when Ihe Indians would certainly' mtirdcr Ihcra all. Duncan Cameron also said, thit Miles Mac- donel), Esq, governor of the settlement, would have no provisions to ^ive to the settlers, aniess he (Miles Mnc- ilonell) would take it by force, as he had done before; for (bat reason, Duncan Cameron (old deponent and his wife, that they might have a passage to Canada, if they chose ; and said to deponent and his wife, they should not only have a free passage to Canada, but that the Government would give thera lands and provisions for a year ; or, if Govern- ment did not do so, the North- West Company would. That deponent was with the said Duncan Cameron about italf an hour; deponent's wife went with him; and that Cameron, during that time, told ihem of the intentions of the Indians, after he (Cameron) left the place ; and pro- mised deponent and his wife a passage to Catmda, free of expense, lands and provisions, as stated before. Tliat depo- nent and his wife had gone to the said Cameron, in conse- quence of the reports about the Indians, and for tiie purpose of asking a passage from the said Cameron. — Deponent frequently heard Cameron say, that he was a King's officer, and that Miles Macdonell, Esq. had no authority from the King, or no lawful authority. Deponent heard a letter read by George Campbell, one of the settlers, from Dunciin Ca- meron, saying, that it was necessary for the settlers to take possession of the cannon of the colony, in orer of the young men at the settle- ment were desired to go with him to the plain;, in order to procure buil'aloe meat; they refused to go. Deponent heard t!te said Duncan Cameron say, that Miles Macdonell would i'Ot be able to get any meat in tite plains, because he had not paid his hunters last year, and none would hunt for him now; and deponent believes that it was in coiisequciicc of Xtl APPBMDIX. tbcsc representations, that the settlers refused to go with the said Miles Macdonell to the plains. Deponent says, that on the cannon being pat into the French fort, the settlers returned to their houses, where they staid a few days, and then went on with George Campbell, about three days journey; when George Campbell told them, that William Shaw was made prisoner, and they, the settlers, must go back and relieve him, the said Shaw ; that the settlers were all armed, and had powder and ihot, and that tbcy did return ; that William Shaw was liberated -without their asistance, and they again set out on their journey. His (Signed) ROBERT + SUTHERLAND. Mark. Sworn before me, at York, the 17th February, 1816. (Signed) ALEXANDER WOOD, J . P. [G. ] Deposition of Angus M^Kay, Home Dislriclj > The information of Angus M'Kay, to mt. S late of Red River, in the district of Ossiniboia, and territory of the Hudson's Bay 0)mpany, who saitb, that it is consistent with his knowledge, that •when Miles Macdonell, Esq. governor of the country of Ossiniboia, set out from the Forks of Red River, in the month of January, last year, he desired that a number of the young men should go with him to the plains, in order to procure provisions for themselves and the rest of the settlers ; but that they refused to go, having been led to believe, (hat it was his intention to rob the North- West Company of their provisions, instead of procuring them fairly. — That the deponent was in dread of the Indians; having been told by officers of the North-West Company, that the Indians intended to murder all the settlers; and he was also in fear of want of provisions ; in consequence of which, the deponent applied to Duncan Cameron, master of the North-West Company's trading post, by whom he was assured that all the settlers should receive lands in Upper Canada; and if Government would not give them, the North-West Company would. APPENDIX. Xm That in the month of March, it was reported among the settlers, that Mr. Archibald McDonald had said, that the cannon should be mounted on the larsje boat, 1o prevent the settlers from going away ; and, that the same had been said bj three Irish labourers in the service of the colony ; which reports created great uneasiness among the settlers ; that on a Saturday evening, about the end of March, George Campbell, communicated to John Matheson, junior, and to the deponent, a plan for seizing the cannon on the following Monday, at the time when the settlers would be assembled at the store-house of the colony, to receive their monthly supply of provisions ; and that the said George Campbell read them a letter from the said Duncan Cameron, saying, that all the settlers, who wished to go to Canada, must help to take the cannon ; and George Campbell also read to the deponent a copy of a letter from the said Duncan Cameron to Archibald M'Donald, ordering him to deliver up the cannon, because they were used to stop the King's highway, meaning the navigation of the river ; and declaring that the cannon sliould be taken only to prevent harm, and not to make any bad use of them. — ^That, on the following day, the said George Campbell, with the deponent, and John Matheson, communicated this order to the rest of the settlers who had assembled for divine service. — That, on the fore- noon of Monday, the settlers assembled as had been agreed upon ; and after most of them had received their supply of provisions, George Campbell took the deponent and another of the settlers with him into the house, to deliver a letter to Mr. Archibald McDonald, which the deponent understood to be the order from Mr. Duncan Cameron, to deliver up the cannon. — That Mr. McDonald did not attempt to resist, but called three witnesses, (one Kilbride was one of them ; de|jonent does not know the others,) to attest that they were taken by force against his will ; that, in the mean time, others of the settlers had taken the cannon out of th;; store; and when the deponent came out of the house, they were nearly ready to be carried away, on the sledges which had ?jeen prepared. — That when they were ready, one of the settlers, whom the deponent believes to have been Robert Gunn, fired a shot, and that Mr. Duncan Cameron then came forward, and met the settlers at the distance of thirty or forty yards from the house, when he shook hands with some of them, signifying his pleasure at what they had done. — That the deponent afterwards left the Red River, and came to Canada in the canoes of the North-West Com- pany, and was for some time at Fort William on his way, where he heard several of the clerks of the North- West APPENDIX. Company say, that tlie Company were in no fear of the consequena^s of what they had done at Red River. — The jx?fRons wlio went in to deliver the order to IVi'Donnld, to deliver tlie cannon, were deponent, Andrew M'Belh, and George Canjpbcll, who went in tir^t. (Signed) ANGUS M^KAY. Sworn before me, at York, in the Home District, Province of Upper Canada, the lOth day of February, J8I6. (Signed) ALEXANDDR WOOD, J. P. [H. ] Deposition of Neil M'Kimwn. Home District,^ Infoumation of Neil M'Kiiinou, Yorhf to Kit. ^ late of Red River, in the district of Oasiniboia, territories of the Hudsun^s Bay Company. Deponent being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists, saith, that he arrived at Red River aforesaid, in the year ]812, that the Indians always behaved in a very friendly manner to the setllers, and they never had any fear of them till last winter. — Mr. Duncan Cameron, master of (he trading post of the North- West Company at the Forks of Red River, told the settlers, that the Indians had determined to murder them all, unless they would quit the settlement. — Deponent heard this story from George Campbell. — That about the month of January last, the said Duncan Cameron advised deponent to go to Canada, and oflered to give him a passage in the canoes of the Norlh-VVest Company. Ca- meron said Canada was a good countrj', and he would take Lim to Montreal. That on the day when the cannon were taken away by the settlers, deponent was at John IMatheson's house, about a quarter of a mile distant, and siw a party of men conceal themselves in a clump of wood within a short distance of the house belonging to the governor of the colony, where they wa:ited till the settlers had brought out the cannon, and then came forward to receive them, and convey them to the fort, or trading post of the North- West Company. — That when deponent went away from Rei! River, deponent had some implements of agriculture out of the store of the colony; that when he \>as coming away, he APPENDIX. XV asked Mr. Duncan Cameron whether he should return them into the store of the colony. Cameron said, " put them " into my store; if Lord Selkirk hasany rij^ht to them they ** shall be returned to him, but they are marked down against " you in the books, and you will have to pay for them *' whether or not ;" and he did deliver into the store of the North- West Company, two hoes, one axe, and one spade. He also gave in other articles belonging io himself, and deponent received seven or eight |M)unds for them from Duncan Cameron after he had come to Fort William on Lake Superior. Deponent thought that by delivering back these things he would not have to pay for them hereafter. His (Signed) NEIL + M'KINNON. Mark. Sworn before me, at York, JGlh February, 1816, (Signed) ALEXANDER WOOD, J. P. [ !• ] Deposition of Michael Kilbride. District ofl The information of Michael Kilbride, taken Ossimhoia. y upon oath before me, Miles Macdonell, Esq. one of his Majesty's justices of the peace in said district. Deponent declares, that on Monday, the Srd of April instant, about one o'clock, P. M. George Campbell entered the servant's house, and told him, that they were going Xo take away the field-pieces. Deponent told the said George Campbell that that was a bad business. Campbell replied, that they could not help it, as it was Captam Cameron's orders that the field-pieces should be taken to his fort till the settlers left this country; and the said George Campbell, at the same time, shewed deponent a pair of pocket pistols, which he thinks was done with the intention of frightening him. Deponent went out to inform Mr. Bourke, but could not find him. He then saw tlie artillery on horse-sledges, George Bannerman tiking hold of a small howitzer, and Robert Gunn standing opposite the door of one of the store- houses with a gun across his breast, which he fired as soon as the artillery were drawn away. — Immediately Mr. Duu- XTl APPBNSUC« cao Cameron, wilh a gun in his hand, was seen coming oat of ibe \foo6, at the head of a party of armed men . When he came io the settlers, deponent saw him shake hands with them, and heard him exclaim, " Well done, my hearty ** fellows !" and ask them if there were any more. The deponent also saw John Early with Mr. Cameron's party, and Donald M*Kinnon, John Murray, and others, guarding the outer door of the Government Building, during the time the settlers were carrying away the field-pieces. His MICHAEL + KILBRIDE. Mark. Sworn at Red River Settlement, this 25lh day of April, 1815, before me, MILES MACDONELL, J. P. [K. ] Deposition of John Bourke. District of} The information of Mr. John Bourke, OssiniJma. $ taken upon oath before me, Miles Macdonell, Esq. oue of his Majesty's justices of the peace in said district. Deponent declares, that on Monday, the 3rd day of April instant, the settlers assembled there to be supplied witii pro- Visions, and that about the hour of ode, P. M. of the same day, i>e saw several pieces of the colonial artillery on a horse-sledge, and that he laid hold of one of them to take it off, but was seized by several of the settlers, and told to keep off. Deponent then attempted to get into the mess-room, where Messrs. White and McDonald were, to inform them of what was going on, but was slopped by Donald Mac- kinnon, John Murray, and others. Deponent afterwards endeavoured to get into the store^house, where he had been serving out the provisions, but was kept back by Robert^ Gunn, who guarded the door with a gun across his breast. Deponent further says, that he had not remained long out« side till those who guarded the outer door of the main build- ing told him that he might now enter. Deponent further declares, that he saw Mr. Duncan Cameron, of the North- West Company, at the head of a party oi armed men coming out of the wood, and as he approached the settlers^ APPENDIX. X?U heard him cry out not to be afraid. Dep(H)ent afterwards went into the store-house, where the field-pieces were, and found that all of them were carried away, and also a small howitzer. JOHN P. BOURKE. Sworn at Red River Settlement, the 25th day of April, 1815, before rae, MILES MACDONELL, J. P. [ L. ] Deposition of Hector M^Eackern. Montreal,} I^ector M*E ache tin, late of the colony tozoit, > of Red River, within the territories of the Hudson's Bay Company, in North America, now at the city of Montreal, in the province of Lower Canada, taylor, maketh ontli, that he was employed in the service of the said colony for nearly three years previous to the month of June last, and lived there with his wife and family. That after some difficulties which they encountered in the first winter after they arrived, were got over, the colonists, and the servants employed in the service of the colony, were well saiisfij^d with their situation ; they found the soil and climate excellent, and great facility in obtaining food ; and there was none of them that did not desire io remain in the country. This disposition prevailed till the agents and ser- vants of the North- West Company, and particularly one Duncan Cameron, a partner in that Company, employed themselves in exciting dissatisfaction in the minds of some of the settlers and servants, whom they endeavoured to induce to abandon the colony, and go over to the North* West Company; by which great promises of advantage were made to them. — ^Tliat before these ijilrigues were prac- tised, every body looked forward to the rapid improvement of the colony ; the settlers were so well pleased with it, that they had written to invite their friends in Scotland to follow them ; and the indented servants, who had a right to a pas» sage home, preferred remaining as settlers, and applied to Captain M*Donncll for land, that they might become per- manent settlers in the colony. That the said Duncan Ca- meron, as the deponent believes, in order to increase bis influence and authority, gave himiself out as being a captain c Uriii APPEMOll.. in the King's military seryice, and wore regimentals, with a sword, &c. — And one Seraphim, a clerk under him, was said to be his ensign. That a short tinae before the attack on the settlement in June last, the said Cameron, the better io confirm the belief of his military rank and authority, posted over the gate of the place called Fort Gibraltar, written papers, the purport of which was to give him such rank and authority : and on his way down, at a trading post of the North-West Company, called Fort William, the deponent saw new regimental dresses, which had been received for partners in the North- West Company ; and he saw two of the said partners there dressed in military uni- form. That no apprehensions were felt by the colonists at Red River, upon the score of the Indians, the best under* standing having subsisted between them: the Soutoux nation dwelling on and near Red River, in particular, were always kind and obliging, and seemed better disposed towards the settlers than towards the North- West Company: they even continued to hunt as usual for the settlers, after the* Canadians and Indians of the half-breed, under the influ- ence of the North- West Company, had refused to do so. The persons who took part with the North-West Company, and under their influence, and at their instigation, became unfriendly to the settlers, were the said Canadians and Indians of the half-breed, who might altogether be in num- ber about ninety or one hundred. The said Canadians con- sist of men from Lower Canada, who came to the country in the service of the North-West Company, and have been discharged, and now live with Indian women, and of persons of the same description, who are still in the service of that Company ; and the said Indians of the half-breed may be thirty or forty in number, and are the natural children of persons in the service of the North-West Company, bj Indian women; and many of them are employed in the same service. That the deponent was at Fort Gibraltar, when nine or ten Indians of the Cree nation were brought thither by Alexander M^Donell, one of the partners of the North-West Company, in May or June last. They were feasted and kept drunk in the said fort for several days, and were then sent to speak to Captain M'Doneil; and two or three days after went away. That while the deponent was at the said Fort Gibraltar, as aforesaid, he, the deponent, saw there in the hands of the North-West Company, nine pieces of can- non, which had been provided and used for the defence of the settlement at Red River; and which had been, a few months before^ stolen and canied away from theocC} and APPENBIX. XIX brought to the said fort; where, upon one occasion, the deponent saw two of them used, and fired from. (Signed) HECTOR M^EACHERN. Sworn at Montreal, this 5th December, 1815, before me, (Signed) THOMAS M Hector M*Leod, late of the district Yorki to wit. > of Ossiniboia, being duly sworn, saith, that he was engaged along with several others of the settlers at the Red River, in seizing upon and carrying away, and delivering up to the North- West Company several pieces of cannon, the property of the Earl of Selkirk, which had been provided for the defence of the settlement ; tfiat he, the deponent, was induced to join in this act, by the assurances of George Campbell and others, who represented that Miles Macdonell, governor of the said district of Ossiniboia, would use force to prevent the settlers from going away ; and that, unless the cannon were taken away from him, they would never be able to go away ; and that if they remained, the settlers would all be murdered by the Indians. That he, the deponent, saw a letter, which was read to him by John Matheson, or George Campbell, from Duncan Cameron, one of the partners of the North- West Company, ordering the settlers to take away the cannon ; and warranting that he, the said Duncan Cameron, would indemnify them from any penal consequences; and he, the deponent, believes that the said Duncan Cameron had authority to act as he did ; as he had frequently heard him say, that he was a King's officer ; and that on the day the cannon were seized as aforesaid, the said Duncan Cameron came, with several of his clerks and other persons in the service of the North- West Company, to meet the settlers, and received the can- non from them, and carried them away to the trading post of the said North- West Company in the neighbourhood, where he, the deponent, has frequently seen the said cannon afterwards mounted on carriages and prepared for service. That he, the deponent^ had received from ftiiles Mac- donell, Esq. a musket in trust, to be used for his own defence, and that of the settlement; which musket, he, deponent, XX APPINOIX. carried to the said trading post of the North- West Com- pany, and there delivered it (o the said Dancnn Canaeron, or some person authorised by him ; and that the said musket "vras there left by tfie deponent, and was ncilhcr brought away by him, nor restored to the stores of the seKlemeiit. — That he, the de|)onent, was for several days, in llu? month of Jnne last, at a camp at Fro^ Plain, alon^ with a nnmber of half-Indians, Canadians, and others, under the command of Alexander M^Donel I, a partner of the North-West Com- pany, by wliom he was frequently stationed as a centinel, to see that no boat should pass down the river without his permission. That during his stay in this camp, he knew that the said lialf-Indians had made prisoners of several of the settlers who were remaininij pcawably in their own hoQses; and he saw them ride over tiie cultivated ground belonging to several of the said settlers, in such a manner as to tread down and destroy tiieir crops. The settlers brought away, were Alexander Sutherland, Adam Sutherland, George Sutherland, Catherine Sutherland, Catherine M'Pherson, John Smith, his wife, four sons, and two daughters. The said people were brought away against their wills ; that the , party who went for thera were headed by Mr. M'Lean, a clerk of the Nortli-West Company, and that some of ihe party were armed with loaded guns. Deponent beard said M'Lean tell the settlers, unless they came away, the half- Indians would burn their houses about thera. Deponent saw a party go from the North-West fort; the party were headed by Mr. Grant, Mr. Shaw, of the North-West Com- pany, and Early, one of the settlers, for the purpose of burning the houses of the settlement, — Deponent saw thera set fire to Captain Macdoncll's house ; that is, Miles Mac- donell, Esq. governor of the territory. Two big houses, the horse mill, and several other houses, with the store- houses, were burnt. — He, deponent, saw the party assist in getting out the goods out of the houses, before they set thera on fire, and during the time they were burning ; that the horses, hoes, spades, and axes, were sold io the North-West Company ; and the settlers were paid for them by Duncan Cameron, who gave at the rate of one dollar for an axe. His HECTOR + M'LEOD. Mark. Sworn before roe, at York, in the Home District, Province of Upper Canada, the 14th February, 18IC. (Signed) ALEXANDER WOOD, J. P. APPENDIX. XXI [ N. ] Deposition of George Sutherland. Geobob Sutherland, late settler at Red River, saith, that on or about the 4th day of April last, he and Jame* M*Kay, settler, received a note by the hands of John Mathe- SOB, Jun. the following of which is a copy: — I do hereby order James M'Kay, and Georg« Sutherland, to give up their muskets in the King's name. D. CAMERON, Gibraltar. V. C. Deponent would not obey the order: Matheson then wanted to know where his musket was, and as deponent bad it concealed, he would not tell hira. On or abont the 15th of April hist, a party of the late settlers and North- West Company's servants, consbting of about thirty men, entered deponent's house, took out his musket, and gave it to George Campbell. Deponent asked it back several times, but could not get It. George Campbell threatened to lash hira on one of the sledges, and carry him a prisoner to the North- West Company's fort, and William Sutherland pre- sented his gun at him. Several of the late settlers repeatedly came to deponent's house with messages from Mr. Duncan Cameron, that he would still take him with the rest to Canada, if he would go. On or about the 11th of June last, deponent, Adam Sutherland, his brother, and Allan Smith, went up to the Government House, and when they returned home they were told by John Smith, that others of the settlers had been taken away by the party of the North- West Company's servants, and half-breeds, com- manded by Mr. Lnuchliu M'Lcan, a clerk in the service of the North- West Company, to an encampment they had formed at Frog Plain. When deponent, his brother, and Allan Smith, arrived at their house, they found their bag- gage packed up, and some of the North-West Company's servants and half-breeds soon afterwards arrived, and forced them to go to the encampment at the Frog Plain. The same party took deponent's trading gun and powder-horn, which were never returned. Deponent declares, that Mr. Alexander M*Donell, a partner of the North- West Com- pany, who had the command, went into the tent where the XXU APPENDtX, settlers were, and told them, as they were countrjrmen of his, he would be candid with them in telling thesa, that they {viz. the North-West Company,) were the means of saving them from the half-breeds, as it was quite uncertain but that they would kill them in the nigiit if they remained in their houses. Deponent also saith, that Mr. Alexander M'Donell sent Mr. Lauchliu M'Lean for a piece of paper to write down their names, and he b^an at the top with *' Prisoners of War," with their names annexed. After this, deponent heard Mr. Alexander M'Oonell say in English, to Mr. Lauchlin M*Lean, to tell the settlers in Gaelic, that it was of no use to conceal what their intentions were, that they would take them prisoners to Canada if they did not consent to go as the others did. Deponent answered if he was obliged to go, he would rather go as a prisoner, as he knew there was nothing against him. Deponent argued in behalf of the rest, and at last was told by Mr. Alexander M'Donell, that " he was a devil of a brat of a boy, and, as *' he was young, what sense had he more than the rest ?" He then gave deponent and the rest a few minutes to make up their minds what to do. Deponent then called Allan Smith out of the tent to consult with him, but was soon after told by Mr. William Shaw, that Mr. M*Donell wanted him. A man, under the name of a constable, then clapped his hand on deponent's shoulder, and Mr. M'Donell told him that he was a prisoner in the King's name. Deponent arguing with Mr. M'Donell, was told by him, if he did not keep quiet, that he would get him stripped, and would make the people in the camp flog him. Deponent was then put into a separate tent from his friends. Mr. Duncan Cameron arrived at the camp and inquired where deponent and the rest of the settlers were. Deponent answered and went out. He was repeatedly told by Mr. Duncan Cameron to be silent, if not, that he would be put in irons. A few days after that, deponent was removed to a camp where the North-West Company had erected a battery close to the Government House of Red River settlement. The camp consisted of about sixty men, North-West Company's servants, half-breeds, and some of the late settlers and servants of Red River settlement, all under the command of Mr. Alexander M'Donell. Deponent heard Mr. Lauchlin McLean, Donald M^Kinnon, and others, saying that they would have Captain Miles Macdonell dead or alive. After deponent was liberated, be went twice to the North* West Company's fort for his trading gun and hb brother's. Mr. Alexander M'Donell told deponent, he was such a good lawyer, that he should not get the guns till he tried it. APPENDIIS. XZm Deponent called some of the people aronnd him as witnesses that his private property was taken from him by force. GEORGE SUTHERLAND. Sworn at Winnipic Settlement, Hudson's Bay Company's Tenitories, 11 th day of August, 1815, before me, ARCHIBALD M*DONALD, CounseUor, TXT', < James White, Sttrgco«. [O. ] Deposition of Patrick M^Nolty. Patrick M'Nolty, late settler at Red River, saith, that on or about the 19th day of June last, Hector M^Eachem, James Pinkman, and Peter Dunn, came from the North- West Company's fort at the Forks of Red River, to depo- nent's house, and told him that if he did not leave his house, he and his family would be in danger of losing their lives, and that it was by orders of Captain Cameron they came to inform him. In consequence of these threats deponent, with his wife and children, left his house and slept in an opai boat upon the river that night. On the following morning deponent went to Mr. Cameron, to ask protection from him to proceed down the river, on his way to Jack River, as he was afraid of being murdered by Mr. Duncan Cainer(Mi's servants if he attempted to go down the river without his permission. Mr. Cameron told deponent that he could not go till the whole of the colony went together, for as he had been ordered to leave the country, he was determined to drive out all the settlers, and when they were gone, he would not leave a stick of the buildings one upon the other. Depo- nent was therefore forced to fly from his house and lands, and left behind him one rood of land prepared for turnip seed, produce of the crop valued at - - - .£3 0 0 Buffiiioe wool, valued at---- One feather bed and household furni- ture, valued at ----- • Land prepared for potatoes, produce of the crop valued at - - - - (Signed) PATRICK M*NOLTY. 10 0 0 2 0 0 8 0 0 '23 0 0 XXiT APPENDIX. Sworn at Winnipic Settlement, Hudsoo*8 Baj Company's Territories, this 5th day of Aagust, 1815, before me, ARCHIBALD MACDONALO, CounseUor. ^^.. j Colin Robertson, ^""^^^VJames White, ^ur^eon. [P-] Deposition of Alexander M'Lean. Mr. Alexander M'Lean, late settler, Red River, saith, that Mr. Duncan Cameron told him that any of the settlers, who would go to Canada, should l)ave from the North- ^Ve^t Company two hundred acres of land, twelve months provisions gratis, and a freepa'^age. Deponent also saith, that he was told by the said Mr. Duncan Cameron, that he would pledge the word of the N Joseph Kenny, late of Red Rircr, in tbe to wit, \ tenitory of tbe Hudson's Bay Company, now at the city of Montreal, in the Province of Lower Canada, labourer, maketh oath, that he was an indented servant in the service of Earl Selkirk, in the colony at Red River aforesaid, during three years preceding the month of June last. — That while the deponent was in the service of tbe Earl of Selkirk aforesaid, some time in the month ofFebruary last, one James Smith, one of the settlers at Red River afore- said, shewed to the deponent a letter addressed to him the said James Smith ; and which he had receivefl from Duncan Cameron, one of the partners in the North- West Company, in which the said Duncan Cameron proposed to the settlers and servants of Earl Selkirk, at Red River aforesaid, to abandon their situations there, and come over to the trading post of the North- West Company, in the neighbourhood, called by them Gibraltar, assuring the said James Smith, that the said settlers and servants would be well treated, be Srovided with a passage free of expense, and be conveyed \x> Lontreal, in Lower Canada. That the said James Smith and others, in consequence of the inducements so held out to them by the said Duncan Cameron, did abandon the colony at Red River aforesaid, and went over to the said North- West Company,^y whom they were received and taken care of, and afterwards conveyed, some of them to Upper Canada, and others to Lower Canada. That the deponent was among the number of persons who abandoned the said colony, and went over to the said North- West Company, as aforesaid ; and it was about the fifth of June last, that tbe deponent left the said colony, and went to the said trading post called Gibraltar. That while the depo- nent was at the said trading post, as aforesaid, about two or three days previous to the eleventh of June last, he observed in the store of the said North- West Company at the said trading post, a number of gunt, with powder-horns and shot-bags, prepared and in order to be used, some of the guns being loaded, and the whole fit for immediate action. That, on the eleventh of June last, a party of half-Indians and Canadians, with some clerks in the service of the said North- West Company, were provided with the said guns, powder-horns, and shot-ba^, prepared as aforesaid, which, they received oat of the said storey and sallied forth from the said trading post, and made an attack oa the settlements at Red RiVer woraaid, aad kept up a continaed fire on tbe d XXVi APPSNDIX. said settlement for at least half ao hour; during which, several persons of the said settlement were wounded. That, among the persons who so sallied fortli, were one Seraphim, a Canadian, a clerk in the service of the said North- West Company, one Grant, and one Shaw, Indians of the half- breed, clerks in (heservice of the said Norlh- West Company, and one Bostonois, also a half-Indinn, and an interpreter, in the service of the said North- West Company. That, after the said firing^ ceased, the said party, with the said clerks at their head, relumed shouting, and manifesting their exultation at what had taken place, to the said trading post, where they were received by the said Duncan Cameron, who had the command and charge of the said trading post, and who shook several of them by the bands, and expressed his satisfaction at their conduct. — That the deponent left the said trading post two or three days afterwards, and was conveyed by the North- West Company in their canoes, to the said city of Montreal, where he arrived on the nineteenth day of the present month of October. — That, in coming down, the deponent saw one Joseph JJellegrade, a Canadian, and others of the persons employed in making the said attack on the settlement at Red River, who were then at a trading post of the said North- West Company, called Fort William ; and the deponent was told by the said Bellegrade, that he and the said other persons were much dissatisfied with the said North-West Compatjy, lor not having ful- filled their promises to them, by which they had been induced to make the said attack on, the said settlement, and afterwards to burn and destroy it altogether ; the said Belle- fradc mentioning at the some time, that what they had so one, had been done at the desire and by the instigation of the said North-West Company. (Signed) JOSEPH KENNY. Sworn at Montreal, the 2Ist October, 1815, before me, ELM. St. DIZIER, J. P. [ R. 3 Deposition of Donald M^Kimrnn. MontreaJf > Don ald M*Kinnon , late of the colony of tovoit, J Red River, in the territories of the Hudson's Bay Company, in North America, now at the city of Montreal, in the Province of Lower Canada, labourer, makcth oath, and saitb, that he emigrated from Scotland ArFINDIX. XXVU in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hiincired and twelre, to reside in the said colony in the capacity of an indented servant, and arrived in the said colony in the same ▼car, and remained (here till the month of March last. That in or about the latter end of last March, one George Campbell, a seltler in the said colony, proposed to the deponent to join him, the said George Campbell and others, in seizin Michael M'Donnell, late of the colony of iowit, J R«d River, in the tcrtitorics of the Hudson's XXTlU APPEMOIX. Bay Cotnpaujj now at the city of Montreal, in the Province of Lower Canada, maketh oatb> that he is acquainted with one George Canipbell, one of the colonists who emigrated from Scotland to settle in the said colony of Red River. — That the said Georfifc Campbell came (o the said colony in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred nnd four- teen, having arrived at one of the posts of the Hudson's Bay Company on the sea coast, in the summer of the year of oar Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirteen, and remained there till the ensuing spring. — That, in the winter of the year one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, the said George Campbell abandoned the said colony, and went over to the trading post of the North- West Company, in the neighbourhood of the said colony. That the said George Campbell, when he abandoned the said colony as aforesaid, headed a party of the settlers of the said colony, who went off with him ; and he and the said party of settlers feloni- ously stole and carried away with them, from the said colony, nine pieces of cannon, which had been provided for the de- fence of the colony, and were placed in one of the buildings belonging to the Earl of Selkirk there, and which they C9n- Teyed to the said trading post of the North- West Com- Emy, called Fort Gibral^r, where they were received by unain Cameron, one of the partners in the said North- West Company, who retained the same. — That the said George Campbell, in speaking to the deponent of the said transaction, told him that he had so taken the said cannon by the desire of the said Duncan Cameron, and that he was not afraid of consequence for having done so, as he had a written order from the said Cameron to justify him. That the said George Campbell, afterwards in the montk of June last, assisted in the attack which was made by an armed force, proceeding from the said Fort Gibraltar, oa the settlement at Red River aforesaid, and, as this deponent believes, in the destruction of the said colony at Red River, which afterwards took place. That after the said colony had been destroyed, the said George Campbell was brought with the greatest part of the »:ttlcrs of the colony, by the North- West Company, to Upper Canada, and the depo- nent travelled in company with the said Campbell as far as a trading post of the said North- West Company, called Fort William. — That while the deponent was in confinement at Fort William aforesaid, under an illegal arrest to which he had been subjected by the procurement of the said North- West Company, the said George Campbell okme to him, and in conversation mentioned that he had received one hundred pounds from the said North-West Company, which the deponent uodeistood to bo a reward for the part APPKNDIX. XXIZ which the said Cam|^ll had taken in conrejing a^ray the caonoH) and in the attack on, and destraction of, the colony at Red River aforesaid. That the said Campbell also told the deponent that he expected to get an advantageous sita- ation at St. Joseph's, in consequence of the recommendation, and by the inflaence of, the North- West Cora{»ny. That while the deponent was in custody as a prisoner at Fort Gibraltar aforesaid, in June last, Dugald Cameron, one of the partners in the said North- West Company, told the deponent, in the course of conversation, that the said North- West Company had offered Alexander M*Lean, the prin- cipal settler in the said colony, as much as four hundred pounds if he would abandon the said colony, and come ovei to the North- West Company. That while the deponent was in custody at Gibraltar, as aforesaid, he represented to Alexander M'Donell, one of the partners in the North- West Company, then having charge of the said fort, his anxious wish to be sent forward to the place where his trial was to be had, to which the said Alexander M'Donell answered, that the deponent was to go with him, and that he could not set out till he had seen all the colonists off the ground, and on their way to their future destination. (Signed) MICHAEL MCDONNELL. Sworn at Montreal, this 28th day of NoTcmber, 1815, before me, (Signed) J. M. MONDELET, J. P. [T. 3 Deposition of James Fhfim. Montreal^ > James Flynn, late of the colony of Red toxdt. \ River, in the territories of the Hudson's Eaj Company, now at the city of Montreal, in the Province of Lower Canada, labourer, maketh oath, that on his way down from Red River aforesaid, to Montreal, in the month of June last, he, the deponent, heard Duncan Cameron, one of the ^rtuers in the North-West Company, who was then at the River Winipeg, mention, in speaking of the destruction of the colony at the Red River aforesaid, which had recently before taken place, that he had left a person behind him at Red River aforesaid, who would finish the business, meaning the destruction of the said colony. That tlie deponent also heard a conversation at the River Winip^ aforesaid, between John M'Donell and Alexander M^Kmie, both XXX APPSNOIX. partners in the said North-West Company, in which the said John M'Donell obserred, that if the Nortli-West Com- pany had not succeeded in enticing away from the colony of Red River the Irishmen (meaninjj the Irish servants in the service of Earl Selkirk there,) they would have been unable to affect what they had done ; w hereupon the said Alexander M'Kenzie, seeing tlie deponent in the room, said to the said John M'Donell, byway of putting a stop to the conversation, there is Captain Maalonell's servant (meaning the deponent), which induced the deponent to retire. That the depoucnt was also present at Fort William, in July last, when the said Duncan Cameron, in speaking to others of the partners of the said Company, of the destruction of the settlement at Red River aforesaid, said, *' I have done so ** much, it is for you to do the rest." (Signed) JAMES FLYNN. Sworn at Montreal, this 20th day of September, 1815, before me, (Sigaed) THOMAS M«CORD, J. P. [U. ] ZhMmmond's Island, {Upper Canada), 22nd Ju(y, 1816. From the Minutes of a Council, held this day, between Kawtawabetay, a Chippewa chief of Sand Lake, and Lieu- tenant-Colonel M'Kay, Superintendant of Indian Affairs. Lieutenant-Colonel Maule of the 10-lth Regiment, Commanding, and President. The Right Hon. Thomas Eaul of Selkirk. Allan, Surgeon. DuLoniMiEB, Captain, Indian Department. Paul La Croix, Merchant. ^ I Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. M*Kat, Superintendant* g V Thomas G. Anderson, Captaiu. i IMiCHEL BrISBUIS. Q /Davjd Mitchell, Surgeon. ^( John Askin, St. Kr. lut. & CI. Q I William Solomon. ^ Joseph St. Germain. C JnUrvrders AssB Rbnack, Ottawa Chief. i ^ DEsoniEt. / ATPiiroii. xzxi EXTRACT. C4 St. Germain, the interpreter, was directed by the snpei- inteodant to ask the Chippewa chief if he had any thing farther io say, on which the chief said, Yes, and said — That in the spring of 1815, whilst at Sand Lake, ■ M'Kenzicand Morrison, told him, Kawtawabetay, thatthej woukl gWe him, and his people, all the goods or merchan- dize and rum, that they had at Fort William, Leach Lake, and at Sand Lake, if he, the said Kawtawabetay, and hii people, would make and declare war against the settlers on the Red Riyer, on which he, Kawtawabetay, asked — — — M'Kenzie and Morrison, if that demand to make war against the settlers at the Red River was by the orders of the great chiefs at Qnebec, Montreal, by the commanding officers at Drammond^s Island, or St. Joseph's, or from his friend Askin. The answer from M'Kenzie and Morrison was, that the request or proposal came from the agents of the North- West Company, and not from any military order, bat solely from the North- West Company's agents, who wished the settlement destroyed, as it was an annoyance to them ; on which he, Kawtawabetay, said, he nor his people would not comply to their request or proposals before he, the said chief, went to St. Joseph's and had seen Askin ; after his return, would govern himself according to the advice he would get at St. Joseph's. Kawtawabetay further said, that the last spring, 1816, whilst at the Fond du Lac Superior, ■ Grant, one of the North- West Company, offered him, the said chief, two kegs of rum and two carrots tobacco, if he would send some of his young men in search of some persons employed in taking dispatches to the Red River, and to pillage the said bearers of dispatches of the letters and papers, and to kill them, should they make any resistance. That he, the ^id chief, refused the reward, and did not pay any further attention to their req nest. That a short time after the afoie- mentioned conversation had taken place between Grant and himself, one named Laguimoniere, was brought in prisoner by some Ottawa Indians, and a negro, which had been employed after his refusing to act or employ hia people. Kawtawabetay further states, that "» Grant aforesaid told him not to be surprised to hear that whilst be, the said chief, would be absent, if he took the said chiefs son and ten of his young men to the Red River, for he, the said Grant, intended to go to the said river, with twelve of the XXXil APPENDIX. Rain Lake Indians, and his people, for the parpose of fight- ing the settlers at the Red River; that he did not intend to call in the Indians to his aid to fight the settlers, for he, Grant, and his party would be strong enough to drive away the settlers, bat wanted the Indians merely as spectators. Question from the Right Honourable Thomas Earl of Selkirk, to Kawtawabetay, by permission of the President and Saperintendant of Indian Aifairs : Question. — Are the Indians about the Red River, or that part of the country you came from, pleased or displeased at the people settling at the Red River ? Answer. — At the commencement of the settlement at Red River, some of the Indians did not like it, but at present they are all glad of its being settled. Lieutenant-Colonel M'Kay told Kawtawabetay that he was happy to find that he had not taken the adrice of those who wanted to lead him astray, but was glad that he had behaved himself as an obedient child iu refusing to take any part with them, and hoped he and his people would con- tinue in being friendly with all the English Merchants, traders, and all the settlers, who were all his Great Father's white children. A true Extract^ > JOHN ASKIN, J. P. \ [V.] Deposition of P. C, Pamhrun, Beporb me, Thomas Earl of Selkirk, one of his Majesty's justices, assigned to keep the peace in the western district of Upper Canada, appeared, Pierre Chrisologue Pambnu, who, being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists, deposes, that in the month of April last, he was sent to the trading port of the Hudson's Bay Company, at Qui Appelle, by order of the deceased Governor Semple, from whom the deponent received a letter of instructions, a copy of which he has attested as relation hereto*. — ^That when he arrived, he found that at the fort or trading post of the North-W«t Company, near the same place, were assembled, a great * A copy of tbese Instructioos tuu not been receired with tlua Dep<^ «timi. APPENDIX. XXXm yiumber of tbe men, commonly called Brules, Metifs, or half-breeds, -vis. the bastard sons of Indian concubines, kept by (be partners or servants of the North-West Company ; that these people had been collected from a great distance, some of them having come from Cumberland House, and others from the Upper Saskatchwan, or Fort des Prairies, that they uttered violent threats against the colonists on the Red River, in which the deponent understood them to be encouraged by Mr. Alexander M*Donell, then commanding for the North-West Company.— That in the beginning of May, Mr. George Sutherland, commanding the Hudson's Bay post, embarked with the deponent and twenty-two men, in five boats, loaded with twenty-two packs of furs, and about six hundred bags of pemican. — ^That as they were going down the river, on or about the 12th day of May, they were attacked by a party of forty-nine servants of the North-West Company, composed partly of Canadians, and partly of half-breeds, under the command of Cut hbert Grant, Thomas M'Kay, Roderick M'Kenzie, and Peter Pangraan Bostonois, clerks or interpreters of the North-West Com- pany, and Brisbois, a guide in their service, by whom they were attacked w ith force of arms and taken prisoners, and brouglit to the fort of the North-West Company, when the deponent saw Mr. Alexander M'Donell, who avowed that it was by his order that the said Grant and others had taken them prisoners, and seized on the provisions and other pro- perty of the Hudson's Bay Company, pretending that the measure was justifiable, in retaliation for Mr. Robertson's liaving lately taken the North-West Company's fort at the Forks of Red River, and declaring that it was his intention to starve the colonbts and servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, till he should make them surrender. — ^That after having retained, for five days, the servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, taken prisoners as aforesaid, the said Alex- ander M'Donell liberated them, after having made them promise not to take up arras against the Nortb-West Com* pany, but the deponent was still kept in close confinement. That towards the end of May, the said Alexander M'Donell embarked in his boats and proceeded down tbe river, escorted by a party of half-breeds on horseback, who fol- lowed them by land, and that he carried with him the pro- visions and furs which his people had taken on the 12th. That the deponent was made to embark in one of the boats, and as they were coming down the river, he was told by several of the servants of the North-West Company, that AlexamJer M'Donell had said the business of last.year was a (rifle in comparison with that which would take place this XXXIV APFENAIX. year> and that the North-West Company and the half- breeds \rere now one and the same. That, at the Forks of Ossiniboyne River, they met a Sauloux chief with his band, to whom the said Mr. M'Dondl made a speech, the purport of which was, that the English (meaning the settlers on Red River, and the servants of the Hudson's Bay Company) vrere spoiling the lands which belont'cd to the Indians and half-breeds only ; that they were driving away the buffaloe, and would render the Indbns poor and miserable, but that the North-West Company would drive them away since the Indians did not choose to do it; that if the settlers resisted, the ground should be drenched with their blood ; that none should be spared ; that he did not need the assist- ance of the Indians, but nevertheless he would be glaul if some of their young men would join him. — That when the party came within a few miles of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's fort at Brandon House, the said Cuthbert Grant was sent with a party of about twenty-five men, who took the post and pillaged it of every thing, including not only the goods, provisions, and furs, belonging to the Company, but also the private property of their servants, which the depo- nent saw distributed among the servants of the North-West Company, Canadians as well as half-breeds. — That after this, the said M'Donell divided his forces into brigades, and Cuthbert Grant, Lacerpc, Alexander Fraser, and Antoine Hoole, were appointed to command difFerenl brigades, and that Seraphim Lamar acted as lieutenant over the whole, under the said M'Donell; that the whole force amounted to about one hundred and twenty men, among whom there were six Indians. — That on arriving at Portage dt's Prairies, the pcmican was landed, and arranged so as to form a small fort, guarded by two brass swivels, which had been taken last year from the stores of the settlement. That on or about the 18th of June, two days after their arrival at Portage des Prairies, the said Grant, Lacerpe, Fraser, and Hoole, and Thomas M'Kay, were sent with about seventy men to attack the colony, and the said M*Donell, with several of his officers, and about forty men, remained with the pcmican. That in the evening of the 20th of June, a messenger arrived from Cuthbert Grant, who reported that thry had killed Governor S* mple, with five of his officers and sixlecn of his men, on which the said M'Donell, and all the gentlemen with him, (particularly Seraphim Lamar, Allan M'Donell, and Seivwright,)shoutedwithjoy.— That Alexander M'Do- nell then went lo announce the news to the rest of his people, crying out, *' Sacr^ nom de Dieu ! bonnes nouvellcs, vingt- " deux Anglois de tucs." — ^That Bostonois then inquired APPENDIX. XXXV "whetlier any of the half-breeds had been killed, and on being told of one, he said the deceased was his cousin, and his death must be revenged, that the affair must not end there, that the settlers must all be killed, and not one be allowed to leave the river, for as long as one of those dogs was alive they would be coming back. That on this the said Alex- ander M'Donell sent two messengers with orders to Grant, to detain the settlers till his arrival. That on deponent*s arrival at Fort Douglas, all the settlers were away, and the place in possession of the half-breeds under Grant. That two days afterwards Mr. Archibald Norman M*Leod and Alexander M'Kenzie arrived, as agents of the North- West Company, and also James Leilh, John M'Donell, Hugh M'Gillis, John M'Laughlin, Simon Fraser, Archibald M'Lellan, John Duncan Campbell, John Haldane, James Hughes, Thomas M'Murrie, with the said Alexander M*DonelI, all these partners, and also Allan M'Donell, thea a clerk and now a partner of the North- West Company; that these gentlemen held a council with the half-breeds who had been engaged in the massacre of Governor Semple and the settlers, made presents to them, and made a s|>3ech to them, at which deponent was not allowed to be present. That when deponent was coming away from this place, the said Alexander M*DoneU lent to him a pair of pistols which had belonged to Governor Semple. That deponent also saw, in possession of the said Allan M*Donell> a double-bar- relled fowling-piece, likewise the property of Governor Semple, and was informed that it had been bought from Coutanaha, one of the half-breeds who had been engaged ia the massacre. — That since the deponent has been at Fort William, he has seen here many Canadians and half-breeds who had been engaged in the massacre, and also in the rob- beries at Qui ApjjcUc and Brandon House. That these men have been favourably received, entertained, and protected by the partners of the North- West Company, now at Fort William. That the said Brisbois, in particular, has dined daily at the table of the partners, and the deponent has reason to believe that all the partners who are now at Fort William, or have been here since the deponent's arrival, looked upon the crimes which had been committed on Red River by the half-brectls and others under the command of Alexander M'Donell, as services done to the North- West Company, and have rewardeefore me, at Fort William, oq the 16th day of August, 1816, (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. [ W. ] Deposition of A, Larigne. IJEFOttE Thomas Earl of Selkirk, one of his Majesty's justices assigned to keep the peace in the western district of Upper Canada, and likewise in the Indian territories or parts of America, appeared Augustin Luvignc, who being duly sworn on the Holy l£vangelists, made the following decla- ration. Qu'il etoit au Fort de la Riviere a la Souris le printemps pass^, quand Monsieur Alexander M*Donell est descendu nged to the Bois- Bnil& ; and Lord Selkirk, as wdl as the North-West Company, might send traders there ; but he had no right to take possession of these lands. ATPENMX. Xliii The deponent adds, that immediately after the arriTa] of the said Mr. M*Ken2ie, the traders of the Hudson's Bay Company were also driven away from the Red Rirer. ;Signed> LOUIS NOLIN. Sworn at Fort William, on Lake Superior, the 21st day of Aug^ust, 1816. (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. [Y. 3 Deposition of Louis Bbndeau. Before Thomas Earl Selkirk, one of his Majesty's justices assigned to keep tl»e peace, in the western district of Upper Canada, and likewise in the Indian territories or part of America, appeared Louis Blondeau, who, being duly swom on the Holy £Tangeiists, made the following declara- tion. Que dans le cours dThtver pass^ 6tant au Fort Cnmber- land sous les ordres de Jean Duncan Campbell, un des proprietaires de la Compagnieda Nord-Ouest,ledit Camp- bell a propose a lui, Louis Blondeau, d*aller i la Rin^re Rouge, pour defendre les int^r^ts de la dite Compagnie contre les colonistes. Que lui, Louis Blondeau, a repondo, qn'il ne tiesiroit point se mfiler de mauvaises affaires contre hi loi ; que le dit Campbell a replique qu'il n*y avoit point de danger, que la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest Ic prot^geroit commeelle avoit toujours proteg6 ceux qui avoient agi pour ses internes ; qu'oo avoit vu b^ucoup de gens qui avoient faits de raauvais coups pour les servir, et que jamais on aToit vu aucun qui en avoit subi les peines de la loi. Que ci-apr^s dans le merae hiver le dit Campbell a montre au dit Blondeau une lettre qu'il avoit regu de Jean McDo- nald, aossi proprietaire de la dite Compagnie du Nord- Ouest, residant si la Riviere du Cygne, faisanl invitation de la part de la Compagnie, a tous les Metifs et autrcs qui voudroient aller 4 la Riviere Rouge pour defendre les in- terfits de la Compagnie, et que suivant cette invitation sept Metifs et un Canadien (dont un commis et les autrcs en- gages au service de la dite Compagnie) sont partis do Fort Cumberland dans le moisd'Avril, pour se rendre i la Riviere Qu* Appelie. Que Ic dit Louis Blondeau a va quelques- uns d'eux en bas de la Riviere Wioipique, qui lui ont tacont^ qu^iU avcnent ete dans la bataille du 19 Jain, dans laquellc ils avoient ta6 le Gouvenwur Semple, et beaucoup des colonis(cs,quMls Ini avoient roontr^ le butin qaMs avoient re^us pour leur recom pence, qui avoient ete tir^s des cffets pill6 des njao:aztMs da la colonic, et quails avoient raconte \ lui, Louis Blondeau, que ces effcts leur avoient ete dis- tribu^ par Monsieur Archibald Norman M*Leod, un des proprietaires de la diic CJompagnie dn Nord-Ouest. Le dit Louis Blondeau declare anssi avoir entendu lire par le dit Jf^n Duncan Campbell une lettre qui lui avoit ^te addressee comme a tous les autres proprietaires de la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest dans le mois de Fevrier ou de Mars par le Gouverneur Semple et par Monsieur Robert- son, qui promettoieut qu'ils ne mettroicnt aucun obstacle ^ la sortie des vivrcs de la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest, de la Kiviere Rouge, pourvu que de Tautre part on laisseroit libre sortie au commerce de la Compagnie de la Baied'Hud- 8on^ proposition que le dit Campbell a para mepriser. (Signed) LOUIS BLONDEAU. Svrom at Kaministigoia, this ISth day of Augnst, 1816. before me, (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. [translation.] That, in the course of last winter, he (Louis Blondeau) wi0 St Fort Cumberland, under the orders of John Duncan Camp- bell, one of the proprietors of the North- West Company. The said Campbell proposed to him, Louis Blondeau, to go to the Red Biver, to defend the interests of the said Company against the settlers. That he, Louis Blondeau, replied, that he did not wish to meddle in such matters against the law; — that the said Campbell repUed, there was no danger ; that the North- West Company would protect him, as they had always protected those who had acted for their interests. That there were many people who had done such things to serve them, but no one had ever seen them sui&r for it. That afterwards, in the same winter, the said Campbell shewed to the said Blondeau, a letter he had received from John Macdonald, also a proprietor in the said North-West Company, residing at Swan River, giving an invitation on the part of the Company to all the Metifs and others who chose to go to the Ped River, to defend the interests of the Company. And that, in consequence of this invitation, seven Metifs and one Canadian (of whom «nc was a clerk, and the others servants of the said AVPSJIDIX. z}t Companj,) set out from Fort Cumberland, in the month of April, to go to the River Qui Appclle. — That the said Louie IKondeau saw some of them afterwards at the mouth of the River Winipic, v^ho related to him that they had been in the battle of the 19th of June, in which they had killed Govemo? Semple and many of the settlers. Tliat they shewed him the booty they had received as their reward, which had been giveii out of the effects pillaged from the stores of the colony ; and that they told him, Louis Blondeau, that these effects had been dis> tributed to them by Mr. Archibald Norman M'l^od, one of the proprietors of the said North- West Company. The said Louis Blondeau also declares, that he heard the •aid Duncan Campbell read a letter which had been addressed to him, as well as to all the other proprietors of the Nor th-West Company, in the month of February or March, by Governor ijemple and Mr. Robertson, who promised that they would put no obstacle to the carrying out the North-West Company's pro- visions by the Red River, provided the other party would allow free passage to the trade of the Hudson's Bay Company — a proposal which the said Campbell appeared to treat with caa- tempt (Signed) LOUIS BLONDEAU. Sworn at Kaministigoia, this 12th day of August^ 1816, before me, (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. saes (Z. ] Deposition of Joseph Brisbcis* Before Thomas Earl of Selkirk, one of hb Majesty's justices assigned to keep the peace in the western district of Upper Canada, appeared Joseph Brisbois, guide in the ser- Tjce of the North-West Company, who being duly sworn QQ the Holy Evangelists, made the following declaration. Qu'Il ^toit avec Monsieur Cuthbert Giiant, quaad il a pris les bateaux de la Compagaie de la Baie d'Hudsoo^ q^i descendoient la Riviere Qu' Appelle, dans lesquels il y avoiU SilHsieurs paquets de peltrie appartenant k la dite Compagni^ 'Hudson. Le deposant declare de plus qu'^ soa arrive aa fort des Anglois biti sur la Riviere aox Si»Hris (oui etoit ddj4occupe par les Bois-Brul^s alors) etanf eiimpe devaot le fort mention^, le deposant en vit sortir des paqnets qui ^toieut icansportes par les Brules, et qui les pps^reut dan# k» bateaax de b^Compagaie da Nora-Ooestj qft'ensaite xiri ippsKDiv. ill iravers^rent la Riviere da cdl6 oii la Coropagnie da Nord-Ouest a un ^tablisseraent. Le deposant declare que depais la Riviere Rouge il y AToit Luit canotfl en sa charge pour les conduire au Fort William, quVn dechargeant ces canots il reconnat des paquets appartenant h la Coropagnie de la Baie d^Hudson, qui furent mis dans un des baogards du fort par les engages de la Compagnie da Nord-Oucst : qu*ensuiie Messrs. Ken- ned j et Harrison qui etoient presens pour les rece?oir, les pcs^rent et firent arranger les paquets en question en ligne. Apr&» que les peltries furent detachees et pesees, Monsieur Alexiincirc M^Kenzie entra dans Thangard, et ordonna a ses gens d'attaciier chaque paquet au milieu, pour qu'on pent les transporter dans un autre hangard od le deposant, Joseph Brisbois, conduisit les engages pour leur montrer la place qui 6toit assignee pour placer les paquets en question. Le deposant croit qu*il est de son devoir de dire que le nombre des paquets appartenant a la Compagnie de la Baie d*Hn(!M>n, qui out 4le transport^ de la Riviere des Souris, et Qu* Appetle, dans les hangards du Fort William, pent se monter a quaraote paquets. Le deposant croit qu'il s'est 6coul^ h. peu pr^s deux ou trois semaines depuis qu'il est de retour de son yoyage. Sa (Sign6) JOSEPH + BRISBOIS. Marque. Sworn at Fort William, the 19th day of August, 1816. (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. dniANSLATlON.] That he (Joseph Brisbois) was with Mr. Cuthbert Grant, when he took the boats of the Hudson's Bay Company coming down the River Qui Appelle, in which there were several pack- ages of peltry, belonging to the said Hudson's Bay Company, llie deponent further declares, that, on his arrival at the English fort on Mouse River, (which was then occupied by the Bois- Brul^) being encamped before the said fort, he saw packages brought out of it, which were carried by the Brulci, who placed them in the boats of the North-West Company. That after- wards they crossed the river to the side where the North- Wesl Company have an establishment The deponent declares, that he had charge of eight canoes from the Red River to Fort William. — That, on unk>adin^ these canoes, he recognized packages belonging to the Hudsoirs Bay appendix; zirii Company, which were put into one of the store-houses of the fort by the servants of the North- West Company. That after- wards Messrs. Kennedy and Harrison, who were present to receive them, weighed them, and arranged them in a row. After the furs were opened out and weighed, Mr. Alexander M'Kenzie entered the shed, and ordered his people to tie each package in the middle, that they might be carried into another store-house, to which the deponent, Joseph Brisbois conducted the servants to shew them the place appointed for the packages in question. The deponent thinks it is his duty to say, that the number of packages belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, which were brought down from Mouse River, and Qui Appelle, might amount to forty packages. The deponent thinks, that about two or three weeks hare passed since he returned from his voyage. (Signed) JOSEPH + BRISBOIS. Mark. Sworn at Fort William, the 19th dayof August, 1816. (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. [ A. A. ] Deposition of C. G. Bruce. Befobe Thomas Earl of Selkirk, one of his Majesty's JQstiees assi^ed to keep the peace in the western district of Upper Canada, appeared Charles Gaspard Bruce, who being dulj sworn on the Holy Evangelists, made the following declaration. Qu'il parlit de Montreal pour se rendre a la Riviere Rouge avec Monsieur Miles M*Donell, et pour lui servir d'interpr^(e pour la langue Sautoux ; que le 24 Jain, ils rencontr^rent an Lac de la Pluie plusleurs sauvages de cette nation, qui dirent an deposant que Monsieur M'Leod et Monsieur Alexandre M'Kenzie aToient fait assemblee tous les sauvages des environs, pour leur proposer de les suirre a la Riviere Rouge pour y delivrer Monsieur Duncan Ca- meron, qui y etoit detenu prisonnier par les Anglois de la Bale d'Hudson, et que si les Anglois ne vouloient pas le leur rendre, ils prenderoient Monsieur Cameron de force, et que tout ce qui se trouveroit dans le fort seroit donn6 k eox (sauvages) pour les recompenser de leur peine. Les sauvages qui raconterent ces laits s'appelloient Ooi^kuet, Shabin^, xiriii APFKNDtt. et son fifs. — Ce« saavages dirent qa'ib n'avoient pas vonla suivrc Messieurs M'Leod et M'Kenzie, mab que vingt-nii Sautoux les avoient suiyis, quelques-uns dans leurs propres can6ts, et les autres dans les canots de la Compagaie da Nord-Oaest. Ce recit fut confirm^ par les relations d'autres •Buvages de la mdnie bande. he jour suivant Monsieur M'Donell et k deposant ren- eolitr^rent une antte bande des Saatoux, qui dirent de ploa que le docteur M'Laughlin avoit passe deux jours aupara- Irant, et avoit aussi cherche tl avoir des sauvages pour I'ac- compagner a la Riviere Rouge, que cinq Sautoux acccjp- t^rent ses propositions, ct qu'ils ^toicnt partis pour alter joindrc Messieurs M'Leod, M'Keuzie, et Lcith, et beancoup d'autres bourgeois de la Compagnie qui se rassenibloient ^ la Riviere Rouge. His (Signed) CHARLES G. + BRUCE. Mark. Sworn at Fort William, on the 23rd of August, 1816. (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. [translation.] That he (C. G. Bruce) left Montreal to go to Red River wilh Mr. Miles M'Donell, to serve as an interpreter for tbe Sautoux language ; that on the 34th day of June, at Lac la Pluie, they met several Indians of that natiouj who told the deponent that Mr. M'Leod and Mr. Alexander M'Kenzie had calletl tujjether all the IndianK of the neighbourhood, to projwse that they should go along with them to Red River, in order to release Mr. Dun- can Cameron, who was detained there prisoner by the English of the Hudson's Bay Company, and that if the English would not give him up they would take Mr. Cameron by force, and that whatever might be found in the fort should be given to the Indians as a recompence for their trouble. The Indians who told this wore Oniegakuet, Shabinc, and bis son. Tlie^e Indians mentioned that they themselves refused to follow Messrs, M'Leod and M'Kenzie, but that twenty-one Sautoux bad accompanied tfaetn, some in their own canoes, and the rest in the canoes of die North-West Company. This statement was cOhfirmed by other Indians of tbe same band. The following day Mr. M'Donell and t^ie deponent met ano- ther band of tbe Sautoux, who told them, that Dr. M'Laugblin bad also passed two days before, and had likewise tried to prevail an some Indians to accompany him to Red River. That five ^tttoQX accepted bis proposal*, and that they «ct out to join APPENDIX. Xlix Messrs. M'Leod, M'Kenzje, and Leith, and many other partners of the Company, who were assembling at the Red River. His CHARLES G. + BRUCE. Mark. Sworn at Fort William, on the 23rd of August, 1816. (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. [ B. B. ] Deposition of John Bourle. Montreal,\ John Bourke, late of Fort Douglas, at lo wit. j Red Riaid North- West Company, assisted by one Cuthbcrt Grant, and one Fraser, both of them Indians of the said half-breed, and clerks in the service of that Company. The informa- tion of this intended attack was conveyed by diilerent per- sons, and was received in such manner, that no doubt was entertained of its truth. An almost constant watch was, therefore, kept up, night and day, to discover the approach of any of the parties of the North- West Company. On the nineteenth day of June last, about five o'clock in the after- noon, a man in the watch-house at Fort Douglas .aforesaid, called oat to Governor Scmple, that a party of horsemen S I APPENDIX. were approaching (be said settlement. I'be deponent was then with the said governor, and observed a number of men on horseback at the dbtance of about half a mile from the fort. The deponent, Vith others, went into the watch- house, for the purpose of viewing the said parly of horse- men, with a spy-glass, and they then distinctly perceived that the said party consisted o( sixty or seventy men on horsc-l)ack, all of them armed, and approaching the settle- ment in a hostile manner. The said governor having viewed the approach of these men, who appeared to direct their course towards the settlement below the fort, desired twenty men to follow him, for the purpose of ascertaining what was their object; and upwards of that number, among whom the deponent was, immediately collected and went with him out of the fort. When the governor and hit party had advanced about half a mile, they were met by some of the settlers, who, alarmed and terrified, were run- ning to the fort for protection, and saying, that the people of the North- West Company were coming with carts and cannon. The governor, apprehending that the settlement was about to be attacked, desired the deponent to go back to the fort for a piece of cannon which was there, and to desire Mr. Sheriff M'Donell, then deputy-governor at the fort, to send with it any men be could spare. The depo- nent accordingly returned to the fort and delivered the said message, but Mr. M^Doneli would only allow one man to accompany him, and with this man the deponent set out from the fort wiih the cannon in a cart. They had ad- vanced thedistance of about half a mile from the fort, when they saw that the party of liorseraen had surrounded the governor, and they distinguished the flashes from the guns which were firing. The deponent fearing lest he should be intercepted with the cannon, thought it prudent to convey it back to the fort, and accompanied it part of the way himself, and then sent it forward by the man who was with him, at the same time the deponent was joined by about ten men from the fort, who proceeded with him towards the place where they expected to find the governor. Upon advancing further, they observed that the horsemen, by whom the governor and bis party had been surrounded, bad dispersed, and were scattered over the ground, but did not see the governor or any of his parly. The deponent hesi- tated to go forward, when some of the hostile party cried out to the deponent in English, " Come on, come on, here " is the governor, won't you come and obey him ?" The deponent advanced a little further, when the same persons cried oat, ^'Give up yoar anuB.'* Apprehending that the APPBN'DIH:. li ^oyernor and bis partj had been destroyed, and believing it was the wish of the murderers to get him, the deponent, also into their hands, the deponent turned back with the ten men who were with him, and *they made all haste to escape: in their flight, the deponent received a shot in his right thigh, and Duncan M'Naughton, one of the ten men, was killed. About an hour after the deponent reached the fort, he heard, from persons who had escaped from the massacre, that Governor Semple and the persons with him, excepting four or five, had been murdered by the said party of horsemen, which was composed of clerks and servants of the Norih-West Company, headed by Cuthbert Grant above-named. The next day the said Cuthbert Grant and the said Fraser, both of them clerks in the service of the North-West Company as aforesaid, with about sixteen or seventeen of their associates in the murders of the preceding day, came to Fort Douglas, and threatening every l>ody in the fort and settlement with immediate death, if their orders were not complied with, insisted on the immediate abandon- ment of the fort and of the settlement, and that property of every kind should be delivered up io them. After some conversation and entreaty, their terras were so far modified, that it was determined that the property of private indivi- duals should be respected, but that every thing that belonged to the Earl of Selkirk and the colony generally, should be the spoil of the pliinderers. — A writing, purporting to be a capitulation, was drawn up to this eflPect, between Mr. Sheriff M'Donell, having charge of Fort Douglas, and the said Cuthbert Grant, which was signed by the latter as clerk to the North-West Company. Notwithstanding the assurance given, that private property should not be vio- lated, almost every thing which the settlers and servants of the colony possessed, became the spoil oi these servants of the Nortli-West Company, and was taken by force. While the settlers were preparing for their departure, some conversation too place between the said Cuthbert Grant and the deponent, in which the said Grant said, that if he could have got hold of Mr. Colin Robertson (the agent for Lord Selkirk, by whom the colony had been re-established,) he would have got him scalped. — ^The second day after the massacre, the deponent saw, in the Government House, one Frangois Fermin Boucher, a Canadian, the soa of a tavern keeper at Montreal, then in the service of the North-West Company, who was armed, and acted under the orders of the said Cuthbert Grant, by whom he was employed to conduct away the colonists as far as the Frog Plains. The deponent was well acquainteil with the said Cuthbert Grant lii APPBMDTX. as -well as with the said Fraser, haring become acquainted with them as clerks of the North-West Company, and been frequently with them. They were generally stationed as clerks at Fort Quijlppelle; they arc natural children of the partners in the North- West Company, and have been etlucated in Lower Canada, wliere they received as j^ood an education as young men intended for mercantile business generally do. In the hurry and confusion which succeeded the massacre, the deponent could get no assistance for his wound, and it was not till two days after, that two Indians were kind enough to dress it. When the attack was made on Governor Sempic, as above-mentioned, there was an en- campment of Sautoux and Cree Indians opposite to Fort Douglas. These Indians took no part whatever in the hostility which had been evinced against the colony, nor in any of the atrocities which were perpetrated for iis destruc- tion. On the contrary, they lamented the fate of Governor Semple, and those murdered with biro, hardly less than the colonists thmselves, and were anxious to shew their good disposition towards tlie colony, by every act of kindness in their power. They assi8tetho were then there. (Signed) MICHAEL HEDEN. Sworn at Montreal, 16th September, 1816, before me, (Signed) THOMAS M«CORD, J. P. Here follows a copj/ of the paper purporting to he a subpoena above referred to. Indian TerrUori/. George the Third, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. To Patrick Cochrane and Michael Heden, We command you, and every of you, that all business being laid aside and all excuses ceasing, you do, in your S roper persons, appear before the Justices of our Court of ing's Bench, in and for the district of Montreal, assigned and appointed by an Act of the Imperial Parliament of (jlreat Britain, to hear and determine, all crimes und offences com- mitted in the said Indian Territories, at the T^rm of the said Court, io be holden in the City of Montreal, in the District of Montreal, in the Province of Lower Canada, on the First Day of September next, at the hour of ten in the forenoon, to testify all and singular those things which you or any of you know conccraiug a certain accusation against J. P. APPENDIX. Ixi Bourke, for Felony: And this yoo and every of yon are in no wise to omit, under the Penalty of One Hundred Pounds, lialifax currency, and all other Penalties by law inflicted for such neglect: — Witness Archibald Norman M'Leod, Esq. one of the justices assigned to keep the peace, Sec, in and for the said Indian Territory. Given at Fort Alex- ander, the Ninth Day of July, in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Eiffht Hundred and Sixteen, and in the Fifty- eixth Year of His Majesty's Reign. (Signed) A. N. MCLEOD, J. P. J. T. [ D. D. ] Letter from Mr, Simon M'Gillivrny, to the Right Honourable Earl Bathurst, bfc. S(c. i^c. Montreal, June I9M, 1815. My Lord; I am induced to take the liberty of address- ing this letter io your Lordship, in consequence of a com- munication lately made by the Government of this province to my brother, relative to the Earl of Selkirk's settlers on the Red River, and the suspicions which his Lordship labours lo excite against the North-West Company of instigating the Indians io hostile proceedings against them. I beg leave to enclose io your Lordship a copy oi the communication referred to, being a confidenlial letter from the Adjutant General written by order of Sir Gordon Druni- mond*, together with a copy of my brother's answer, and further, I beg leave to refer to the communication addressed to Mr.Goulbourne by Messrs. M*Tavisb, Fraser, and Co. and Messrs. Inglis, Ellice, and Co. of London, on the ISlli March last, in answer to the letter written by him to the North-West Company on the 2nd of that month. I certainly entertained hopes that our statements in that communication, together with the verbal explanation which I had the honor to submit to your Lordship before I left London, would have removed from your Lordship's mind anj^ impression unfavourable to the North-West Company, which might have been made by the Earl of Selkirk's im- putations; and I still venture io hope that this is the case, for I am fully persuaded that without evidence io support such heavy accusations as Lord Selkirk docs not scruple io bring against the North-West Company, your Lordship • See the letter, page 57. Ixii Al>I>l!NDIX. XfxW not entertain them ; and ns I know these accusations to be utterly unfounded, and conscqucndy that do evidence entitled to credit can be. hrouphl forward in support of them, I trust 3*our Lordship is, or very shortly will be satisfi(?d that the North-West Company have lieen most unjustly calumniated. The facts relative to Lord Selkirk's colony have alrejjdy been sufliciently stated to your Lord- ship, and also the facts that in its infancy the settlers were preserved from actual starvation solely by Ihc means of subsistence afforded by the Norlh-Wost Company. This conduct so difTcrent to thai imputed to the Company by Lord Selkirk, is, [ conceive, of itself a sufhcicnt refutation of his charges, and it certainly merited a very ditTerent rcturu from what has bren made : for J have to itjform 3'our Lord- ship that in addition to the calumnies which have been sp industriouslj' propagated against us in En.orship's agents, it is now attempted to excite a pnjudice against us, and to make the party who arc really attj-.cked and injured, appear to be the aggrcssorj'. In the spring of 1814 Mr.M'Doncll, Lord Selkirk's prin- cipal agent at the colony, and whose proclamation styling himself Governor of Ossiniboia has already been laid Ijcforo your Lordship, did in virtue of this prclcndetl authority, nnd with the assistance of the settlers, whose numbers had by successive importations, Ix'cn greatly increased, forcibly seized and took possession of the provisions which had bcea collected during the preceding winter by the North-West Company's servants, and which provisions were as usual deposited at the mouth of the Red River, lor the use of the people coming from the interior of the continent to our general rendezvous on the shore of Lake Superior ; these provisions were indispensably requisite not merely lor the transport of the Company's property, but for the subsisteuco of the persons employed therein, and the object of theseizure was evident, for if it had ultimately succeetlcTer to disseminate this opinion among my countrymen in the highlands of Scotland, in order, if possible, to prevent them from bcin^^ misled by his Lordship's illusive adver- tisements, one of which has already been laid before your Lordship. \xif APPENDIX* My connections with the North- West Company gare roe tne means cf obtaining correct information, and experi- ence has only justified the opinion I \ras at first led to form ; but it is surely unnecessary to point out to yoar Lordship the distinction between an opinion that the Indians troald ultimately destroy the colony and an intention to instigate them io the massacre of my countrymen. The same opinion I still entertain, and it is strengthened by the violent and ignorant conduct of Lord Selkirk's agents. The massacre of my deceived countrymen on the Red River I consider an evil by no means improbable, but the idea of instigating so horrid a deed, I do for myself, and on behalf of my connections, most solemnly and indignantly deny.— And I hope we are too well known to render the denial necessary. I trust your Lordship will pardon the freedom with which tipoD this occasion I have ventured to express myself. Im- putations such as those which the Earl of Selkirk attempts io fasten upon the North- West Company, cannot but rouse the indignant feelings of any honorable man ; and it is im- possible to reply to such calumnious accusations in mode- rate terms: for Lord Selkirk's rank, the individuals com- prising the North- West Company, entertain proper respect ; but when he condescends to become their rival as a trader, they must endeavour to meet him or his agents on equal terms; and if instead of fair commercial emulation and en- terprise, violence and calumny are employed against them, I trust the impartiality of his Majesty's Government, and the justice of their own cause, will always enable them to resist the one and refute the other. In concluding I beg leave to mention one circumstance which may probably merit your Lordship's consideration* The settlers by proceeding up beypnd the Forks of the Red River have got to the southward of the latitude of 49^*, so that if the line due west from the Lake of the Woods is to be the boundary with the United States of America, and if* contrary to my expectation. Lord Selkirk's colony should continue to flourish, it will not be a British, but an Ameri* can settlement, unless specially excepted in the a<|]ustmeDt uf the boundary. 1 have the honor io be, With high respect, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient And most humble Servant, (Signed) SIMON M«G1LL1VRAY. To the Right Hon, EarlBatkurU* APPBNOIX. IXT [ E. E. ] Deposition of John Charles Sqt/er. Before Thomas Earl of Selkirk, one of his Majesty's justices, assigned to keep the peace in the western district of Upper Canada, and also in the Indian territories and parts of America not within the Provinces of Upper and liower Canada, appeared John Charles Sayer, clerk and interpreter in the service of the North- West Company, who being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists, deposeth, That he was stationed at the fort, or tradin£j-post of Lake la Pluie, last June, under the command of Mr. licith, where Mr. A. N. M'Leod arrived from Montreal along with several other partners of the North-West Company, oa their way to Red River. That at the time of their arrival a number of Indians were collected near the post for the purposes of trade, as usual at that season of the year, including not only the Indians of the department itself, but also others from Round Lake, and Red Cedar Lake, who usually trade with the post of Fond du Lac. That in the course of the next day after Mr. M'Leod's arrival, the deponent was instructed to sp^k privately to one of the most considerable of these Indians, called the Round Lake Chief, and to icarn whether he was disposed to go with Mr. M'Leod and the other gentle- men to Red River, to assist there in defending the rights of the North- West Company. That accordingly he did coo- verse with this chief, and ascertained that he was disposed to follow them. That in the afternoon of tfje same day all the Indians about the place were invited to a council in the great hall of the fort, at which were present Messrs. Alex- ander M'Kenzie, Robert Henry, M'Murray, and Leith> partners of the North- West Company, and Mr. Charles Grant, a clerk, as also Messrs. Misani and Brumby, officers of De Meuron's Regiment, who had arrived in company with Mr. M'Leod. That the deponent was instructed to pre- pare three kegs of liquor, with a proportional quantity of tobacco for the Indians, and that when these were ready and placed before them, he was instructed by Mr. M*Leod to make a speech to the Indians, telling them that I h(;se gentle- men present were going to Red River to try to recover their fort, and to rescue Mr. Cameron, and would be glad if the Indians would follow them, adding that tliey did not go as fighting characters, but they were told that guns were placed to prevent them from {)assiug, and that if they were attacked they would defend themselves, also that they had expressed Ixyi iFFEKnix. a wisli to have some of the King's officers to accompany them, and that Government had accordingly ^ranted them the two officers >vho were present, upon which the said Round Lake chief answered in the name of the rest of the Indians, expressing tlieir aHachmerit to the traders of the North- West Compan3% and that they were ready to go wherever they desired thera, nnd accordingly the next day the said chiej, with sixteen or twenty other Indians, set out with Mr. M'ljeod for Ked River. The deponent oiwerved, that the exprwisions which be was instrnctetl to use in the speech were such as the Indians would certainly understand as irapl^itjg an instruction to go to war against the oppo- nents of the Norlh-West Company. The deponent further declares, that some weeks after this he was present when a Canadian of the name of V^incent Roy delivered to Mr. Daniel M'Kenzie a letter directed to the Earl of Selkirk, which had Ijeen entrusted to him by Miles M*Donell, Esq. and that he saw Mr. M'Kenzie in- close this letter unopened to the agent of the North-West Company at Fort William. (Signed) JOHN CHARLES SAYER. Sworn before me, at Fort William, on the 8th of November, 1816, (Signid) SELKIRK, J. P. [ F. F. ] Affidaroit by George Campbell, (Printed from the Copy in Appendix, No. VII. of '* A Narrative of Occurre«ces," &c.) George Campbell, late of Scotland, in the parish of Creich,and county of Sutherland, de|)oseth, That in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thir- teen, hearing that Lord Selkirk was establishing a colony in the North- West Country of Canada, and understanding that William M'Donald, one of Lord Selkirk's agcnti:, had arrived at Brora, (a small village in the county of Suther- land), for the purpose of engaging individuals to settle in said North- West rountry of Cianada, went to inquire iuto the particul;irs of ship desired him to accompany them to Donald M'Kay's in the parish of Kleyne. That in their route they slopt at Mr. Uoss*s dwelling- • The absurdity of this Deponent, sajlug he emceira, Imt vmet onerf it at a fad, that he gave a coaple of aiillinga to auothor p^noo, and at tb« mm» tiBie, takas it apoa himself fonth^ to attert that others <&e, peui-barlej, oatmeal, molasses, partridge, b«ef or pvrit, of nearly two poonds per day for each person, IncIudiBg women and cbildrea, \XX APPENDIX. hundred acres of land was given to each settler, and that he and fiTe or six settlers were furnished with horses. That he received no implements of husbandry or live stock, and all the kitchen furniture he could procure, was an old frying pan, and a small copper kettle. That (he provisions issued to them at Red River were very iudiffl'rent, such as pemican and cat fish ; nosaltcoald be procured. That Milt's M*Donell assembled the settlers at his dwel- liog-housc, in Red River settlement, and catling him (thi:i deponenOv Angus M'Kay, and John Muthuson to his room, desired them to tell (iie settlers thut arms would be furnished them for (heir if^nie, i Messrs. \V. M*Gillivray et M'Leod, pour elre Commis dans la Compasrnie du N. W. ct j'ai ublenu ensuite mon conge du Regiment lo 24 Avril 1SI6, par recommendation par- ticuUere faite a son Excellence le Gouverneur Sir Gordon Drummond. Je me siiis engage avcc la plus haute opinion que j'ai re§u de M. Mcziini pour scrvir avec tout le zele possible une societe la plus honorable, et protegee par le gouverncracnt, ct j'ai etc trcs satisfait de partir pour le Nord en compagnie de Messrs. les Lieutenants Mezani ct Brumby, qui aroient permission d'absencc du regiment pour six mois, sur la de- mande de la Compagiiiedu Nord-Ouest, pour rendre unc conic impartiallc au gouvcrneraent dc tout cc qui se passeroit dans cc pays. Duraut !e voyage j'ai entendu parler plusieurs fois d'une opposition, sans compreodre ou et comme elleeioit, jusqu'4 ce que nous somraes arrives au Lac la Pluie oii M. Mezani ra'informa, comme M. M'ljeodsouhaitoit, que je misse mon habit milttaire, ainsi que mon caroarade Heurtre, Messrs. M'Gillivray, M'Leod, ct Mezani nous ay ant recouimande de les prendre avant le de|)art de Morureal pour paroitre dans un conseii des Suuvages, qui eut lieu dans la charobre d'audience ou Messrs. Mezani et Brumby ont el^ introduit comme Capitaines, moi et Heurtre a leur cote comme gens du Roi. M. M'Lcod dirigeoit le discours pour I'Interprete, et faisoit expliquer aux Sauvages, ce qui s'etoit passe 4 la Riviere Rouge, oil M. Robertson avait pris le tort comme un voleur, les prisonniers maltrait^s, et aprcs le pillage tout brule, ct ce qu'on avoit a craindre d'autres violences, en consequence le gouvcrneraent avait envoye Messrs. les Offi- ciers, pour voir que justice fut rendu, et M. M'Leod iavita les Sauvages de prendre partie avec la Com^wgnie du N. W. et de leur donner assistance pour defendre leur droit, sar quoi un chef des Sauvages et vingt-quatrc de ses jcuncs gens apres avoir re^u des presents et ammunition, sont partis le lendemaiti avec la brigade, la moitie dans leurs propres condts, et la moitie dans ceux de la brigade Arrives au fort Bas de la Riviere, M. M'Lt^oil fit ouvrir les caisscs d'armes, et armerent les Canadicns ; on embarqua deux pieces de canons de metal, et la brigade munta jusqo'a la Riviere des Morts, pour y attendre encore des candts d'Athabasca, qui sont arrives le lendemain. Le 22<^ Jain Ixxii ArrBNDix. la brigade est avance dans la Rivi rated. On thb Mr. Cadot cafied him and his companion ^ Saeres Salots,'' for having prerented the Indian from doii^ what be was ordered. Mr. Archibald having come oo sbcore at IXXX APPENDIX. tbat moment, took the pole of the canoe, and beat Faye and the deponent, whose left arm is still weak from the blows. Being ordered to embark in the canoe, they arrived the same day, ot the next, at the place where they had left Mr. Keveney, who wa^ no longer there. They found him, however, four or five leagues farther on, among some Indians. Afler some conversation between Mr. Keveney and some of his people, Mr. Archibald ordered them to embark, and the canoe set out, leaving behind, the Indian Joseph, Mr. Reinhard, the Bols-Brule Mainville, and Mr. Keveney. Having encamped tliree leagues further on, they saw the small canoe approaching which had been bought from the Indians; and as there were only three persons then in it, the Bois-Brulcs said they had at last killed Mr. Keveney, which Mainville confirmed when he arrived, saying that the bullet had passed through his neck, and that he had been stabbed i|i the back, and had fallen upon the canoe. The deponent saw the canoe covered with blood, and the clothes that Mr. Keveney bad on, bloody, and pierced by a sword and a bullet. The Indian washed the clothes, and they divided them. Tlie tent, I^OOta, and other effects were left concealed. — Mr. Archibald having taken possession of two or three small boxes and desks containing a number of papers, he was employed a part of the night in reading and burning them. The next day he conti- nued the same examination of papers, throwing into the water with stones wrapped up in them, those he found useless. Having finished, he congratulated the Bois-Brulis on having destroyed that man, who, he said, if he had got to Red River, had the power of bringing a force there, and have killed them all. The depo> nent adds, that he had Mr. Keveney's coat in his possession till he came to I^ake la Pluie, where some one stole it out of his pocket. He heard Mr. Archibald propose to the Bois-Brulcs to go down to re-take Fort WilUam with the Indians ; but having only three adherents, they aet out again for fias de la Riviere. His BAPTISTE + LA POINTE. Mark. Sworn at Fort William, the Slet of October, 1816. (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. DeposiHon qf Hubert Faye. Befobe Thomas Earl of Selkirk, one of His M^esty's Jeatices assigned to keep the peace in the Upper Province of Canada, and (he Indian Territories, and parts of Aroerioa, — appeared Hubert Fajre, de ia paroisse de La Prairie, vfho beiDg duly iwora upon the Holy firangelists, declares. Qae sar la fin er, 1816, (Signed) SELKIRK, J. P. [ K. K. ] Account of the Transactions at Fort William, on Lake Superior, in August 1816, 6y Mr. Faucfu, late LieU' tenant of the Regiment De Meuron. In the month of May 1816, orders arrived in Canada for the reduction of the Re^'ment De Meuron, in which I was a lieutenant. — His Excellency the Adrainislrator- in-chief, on communicating the same to the colonel of the regiment, acquainted him with the advantages held out by his Ma- jesty *s government to the officers and men who would wish to remain and settle in that country. The Earl of Selkirk was then at Montreal; and as his Lordship wished to obtain a number of efficient settlers for his colony at the Red River, he agreed with several of the officers and privates lo accom- pany him for the purpose of settling there. His Lordship was very particular io his choice of the men, as none but those of the best character, and who knew some of the requisite and useful trades for the settlement would be ac- cepted. EngT^gements accordingly were entered into be- tween them and the Earl of Selkirk, who agreed lo give (he officers and men a portion of land. In addition to this the men were to receive agricultural implements, and to be paid at the rale uf eight dollars per mouth for working the boats to their destination. His Lordship further agreed that if the men on their arrival at the settlement, should not wish to remain there, Ihey should be sent back at hb Lordship's expence to Montreal, or lo Europe, by the ships from Hod- Km's Bay. On the 4th of Jooe, 1816, three officers, myself being the APPEVDIX. IXXXT fourth, and about eighty men, left Montreal and proceeded to Kingston in Upper Canada. The Watteville Regiment had been stationed at the latter place, and vras also under orders to be disbanded. Twenty of that corps were engaged bj Captain Matthey, in the name and on behalf of the Earl of Selkirk, upon the same conditions with those of the Regi- ment De Meuron. After having made the necessary arrangements for our ▼oyage at Kingston, v/e proceeded along Lake Ontario to York, and from thence to Lake Simcoe and Lake Huron, "where we were joined by the Earl of Selkirk, who had remained sereral days after us at Montreal. We proceeded with his Lordship towards cing accompanied by all the gentlemen. The men remained in the boats, but as •ome resistance was apprehended, they were ready to sup- port the constables in the execution of their duty, if lequired. Between two and three hundred Indians and Canadians, in the North- West Company's service, were standing ontside of the gate. The partners who were to be arrested stoo interest is con- cerned. The officers of the Regiment De Meuron have always been admitted in society in Canada, and especially at Montreal, where the Agents and other persons connected with the North- West Company form a great part of it.— We have received attentions from the latter without the least reflection having been cast on our characters, — but as soon as we agreed to become settlers with the Earl of Selkirk, we were accused, as before-mentioned, of the grossest misconduct. The officers of De Meurun'g Regiment had been induced (after a mature consideration of the Hudson's Bay Char- ter, which the Earl of Selkirk was pleased to submit to our notice, and which appeared to us unexceptionable, particularly at it had received the sanction of the most eminent Counsel in England) to accept his offers to become settlers in his colony at the Red River. 1 feel it, there- fore, a duty incumbent on me as one of the officers of that Regiment, to contradict those assertions so injurious to m XC APPENDIX* the character of men who for many years, hate most honourably and failhfully serred his Majesty ; and who, on the reduction of the Regiment, had b^reed to accompany the Earl of Selkirk, not for the purpose (as has been falsely stated) io be employed by his Lordship in a military expe- dition, (though the men most have had a warlike appear- ance from wearing ihe new cioathing issued tothera from the regimental stores)and io commit hostilities ami depredations on British subjects — but for the purpose of becomin{» useful members of his Lordship^s Settlement. With respect to the late Regiment Dc Meuron being callctl plunderers and deserters from Buonaparte's armies in Spain, it is well known that in 1809, when the regiment was at Gibraltar, his Majesty's Government authorised that all the Germans and Piederaontcse whom the conscription had forced to enter Buonaparte's armies, from which thev (escaped as soon as an opportunity offered, should be enlisted in his Majesty's service, in consequence of which many came over and received the regular bounty. The regiment went the same year to Malta, where it remained till 1813, •when it was ordered to North America. On its departure from the island, his Excellency Lieutenant-General Oakes, the Gorernor, issued the following Garrison Order: — Gakrison Order. Malta, May 4, 1813. ** Lieutenant-General Oakes cannot sutler the Regiment ** De Meuron to quit this garrison where they have so long ** been stationed under his command, witliout assuringf ** them of the satisfaction which their good conduct and '' attention to military discipline have constantly afforded ** bim, and which have been equally conspicuous io evei^ <• rank. They will embark from hence as fine and well •* appointed a raiment as any in his Majesty's service. ** The Lieutenant-Cieneral has no doubt but by their " conduct and gallantry, on the desirable service on which •* they are about to be employed, they will confirm the •* high opinion he has formed of them, and will equally ** merit the praise and ap|>robation of the General under " whose orders they will soon be placed, to whom he shall " not fail justly to set forth their merits. ** He begs leave to assure the regiment of his warmest ** wishes for their glory and success, and of the sincere inte- *' rest he shall ever take ia their welfare. (Signed) « P.ANDERSON, " Deputy Adj.-Gcn." APPENDIX. Xci When the regiment \i*as finally disbanded in Canada, his Excellency Sir John Sberbrooke issaed also a Garrison Order which would do honour to any regiment. D. A. G, Office, Garrison Order. Shiebec, July 26, 1816. ** In parting with the Raiments De Meuron and Watle- " rille, both of which corps his Excellency has had the '* good fortune of having had under his command in other ** parts of the world. Sir John Sberbrooke desires Licute- ** nant-CoIonel De Meuron and Lieutenant-Colonel May, " and the officers and men of thc»e corps will accept his ** congratulations on having by their conduct in the ^ Canadas maintained the reputation which they have ** deservedly acquired by their former services. ** His Excellency can have bo hesitation in saying, ** that his Majesty's service in these provinces has derived *' important advantages during the late war, from the ** Steadiness, discipline, and efficiency of these corps. (Signed) " J. HARVEY, Lt. Col. ** Deputy Adjutant-General." As it is not to be supposed that any British General would bestow commendations where they are not due, can it be believed that men deserving such praise would be con- taminated, and become plunderers, from accompanying an English Nobleman, and wishing to become settlers under the protection of a Government whom they had learned to appre- ciate daring the time they served it? The North- West Company also accuse the men of being drunk on the day they entered Fort William. This, I declare to be false, as not a man of them was, in the slightest degree, intoxicated, or had the means of being so. Indeed, I may only refer to Messrs. Brumby and Misani's Declaration to ask, whe- ther it is probable that they would have omitted so strong a charge against the Earl of Selkirk and his party, and whether the North- West Company, under whose influence they made their Deposition, would have neglected to make them corroborate what was so maliciously stated for the purpose of defaming my brother officers and myself, and the men of our late regiment then with us at Fort WiUiam. (Signed) G. A.FAUCHE, Late Lieatenaot D^ Mearon's Regiment. 4, Queen Square, Westminster, Jvnc'Utk, 1817. XCll APPENDIX. [ L. L. ] Narralive of Mr. John M^Nahb, I A K RIVED at Fort William, in company Kith twelve boats or balteaux, in which were two captains, twolieute? nants, with about one hundred men, late of the regiment of Meuron*. We piiched our tents about a mile above the fort, where we found the encampment of Earl Selkirk, with a body afuard of six men, and one non-commissioned officer of theSTth regiment, from Drummond's Island, and Cap- tain Lorimier, with an Indian Chief, from Cockenewaga, in Lower Canada. Early the 13lh of August, his Lordship comrautiicatcd lus intention to me, of appointing me, in company wi»h Mr. M*Pberson, to execute a warrant for arresting William IVl'Gillivray, Esq. agent of the North- West Company. In the afternoon we proceeded to the execution of our office, in a batteau, with nine men, who had arms concealed in the "vessel. On arriving opposite the gate, we landed, and pro- ceeded into the fort, through a number of men, in and about the entry : the most part of our companions followed without their arms, and stood in the gateway. Calling for Mf. M'Gillivray, we were desired to enter his apartment, whea the warrant was instantly served. He acted as a gentleman, read the warrant, and immediately prepared for accom- panying us, at the same time requiring time to converse with two of his partners (Mr. Kenneth M*Kenzie, and Mr. John M'Langhlin), the purport of their conversation was, that they should accompany him to the Earl's tent, and l)ecome bail. This was assented to, and, after he bad finished a letter he had been interrupted in writing, the three gentlemen accompanied us, in a canoe of their own, by their joint desire. Soon after their arrival, his Lordship desired ttiat 1 and my above companion in office, should proceed and arrest Mr. Kenneth M'Kenzie and Mr. John M'Laugldin. This done, we were desired to proceed again to the tort, in company with Captain D'Orsonnens, Lieute- nant Fauche, and about twenty-five men, late of the Meuroa regiment, to arrest the other partners in the fort. We landed, and proceeded to the gate, as before, where several of the proprietors were standing, and a number of men « • Tt»ctew«re eighty of the De Meuroti, atid twenty of the De Watte- ville Regiments. AFPKNDllC. XCIll ^their servants) and manj Indians, were assembled-. The TParrant was served on two of the gentlemen, but, on. approaching the third, resistance was actually made, and a declaration utteretl, that no further submission would he given to the execution of my duty, till Mr. M'Gillivray was given up. In consequence, I was nearly shut out of the fort, by attempts to close one leaf of the gates. Mr. M'Pherson was, also, in the same predicament. At this moment I expressed the necessity of support to Captain D'Orsonnens, who, with much alacrity, aided by several of his men, instantly rushed in, and prevented the gale from being closed. The Captain ordered the resist ec to be seized, and put on board one of the boats. Mr. M'Pherson and I then advanced into the fort, assisted by Lieutenant Fauche. Captain D'Orsonnens quickly followed, with the rest of the men, who were all armed. They ran forward, and, in a moment, took possession of two small cannon that were placed in the court within the gate. The Canadians then dispersed on all sides, and no further signs of resistance were made. We then proceeded to the regular execution of our duty, by the arrest of the other gentlemen named in the warrant. The number of the men in the fort was (by report) upwards of two hundred, and many Indians. When signs of resistance occurred at the gate, the bugle was sounded, upon which Captain Matthey, and the rest of our men, instantly left our encampment, aud were soon at the fort also. Much praise is due to Captain D'Orsonnens, for his cool and determined conduct. Lieutenant Fauche co-operated with the most laudable zeal and correctness, and the men behaved with the most exemplary propriety. Captain D'Orsonnens and Mr. Allan remained at (he fort, toexecute another warrant, which had been issued, to search for, and secure, the papers of the persons anested, for the safety of whicli a guard was left in the fort, and centries about the places which were supposed necessary. The gentlemen, Mr. Alexander M'Kenzie, John M*Do- nald, Hua:h M'Gillis, Simon Fraser, Daniel M'Kenzie, and Allan McDonald, l)eing thus compelled to submit to the warrant, accompanied me in two cano^ to Earl Selkirk^s encampment, and, after remaining a short time in his Lord- ship's lent, were all permitted to retire to their own quarters in the fort, and were left at large, promising, on their word of honour, that no attempts of resistance should be made, nor any hostile measures countenanced or permitted. In consequence, however, of information, obtained early next morning, of clandestine preparations of hostility, carried on ZCiV AFPEMDIX. daring the night, a warrant wis issued out by the Earl Selkirk, for a search for arms, and, in executing (his, four cases of guns, eight or more in each, and forty fowling- pieces, loose, loaded and primed, were found in a hay-loft, or barn, concealed: by every appearance, this had been done during (be cuursc of the night. Information was also obtained, that eight, or more, l>arreis of gunpowder had been secretly sent out of the fort. Further, that a canoe had been sent away, with powder and guns, from the fort, during the night. In consequence of these discoveries, the Eari judged it necessary to take more effectual precautions for our security. The greatest part of the Canadian voyageurs, at the fort, in the service of the North- West Company, were ordered to remove their tents to the opposite side of the river, and our own encampment was brought over, and formed immediately before the gate of the fort, in which also additional centries were placed ; and the prisoners, who had broke their parole, were more strictly guarded, but still were left in apartments of (heir own, notwithstanding that a very good prison was found in the fort. The forenoon of August loth, Lieutenant Grafienride, and several men, found the eight barrels of gunpowder above mentioned, being about half a mile from the fort, lay- ing uncovered in a swampy spot, among burnt willows, the indirect patluway among the long grass lately trod down, leading thereto, pointing out the certainty of its having beeo placed there the previous night. The same day, Mr. M'Gillivray, Alexander M'Kenzie, Kenneth M'Konzie, John M'DonaUl, Hugh M'Gillis, Simon Fraser, John M'Laugblin, and Allan McDonald, were each respectively called before his Lordship, who previously had desired the attendance of Captains Matthey ami Lorimier, Lieutenants Mcsani and Brumby, Mr. Becher, and myself, seated with his Lordship; during the time the answers of each individual were given to such questions as were pro- posed, Messrs. Allan and Spencer noted down their decla- rations. Previous to the examination, each was given to understand, that it was perfectly optional whether thej should answer or not. (Signed) JOHN M^NABB. Fort William, I7th August, 1816. [ M. M, ] Deposition of Mexander Fraser* District of Montrealf > Alexander Frasbk, of Province of Lower Canada. S River Du Ch5ir»e, in the Db- Irict of Montreal, blacksmith, being duly sworn, deposetb, )ind sailh) That about the spring^ of the year 1813, be was engaged as a blacksmith in the serrice of the North- West Company for the space of three years. That he was shortly afterwards sent from La Chine to Fort William, where he remained during the whole period of his service, and faith- fully performed his duty until the end of his engagement, in the spring of 1816. That after his time of service was expired, he expressed his desire to return to Montreal, and also bis wish to receive his account, and to be paid his wages: that he was told to continue his work; which he refused to do, unless he was paid. That he was then pro- mised that he should be paid for his past services, and for soch other work as he should perform. That, relying on this promise, he began a-new to labour in their service, but irithout entering into any engagenaent for any limited time or any specific services, excepting to be paid for such work as he should perform, were it more or less. That, after the arrival at Fort William of one Bourke aod others, who had been brought thither in the North- West canoes, after having escaped the massacre at Red River, he was desired by the said Bourke to accompany faitn in a visit to one Chdtelain, a person in the service of the Earl of Selkirk, who was encamped upon a small island at a little distance from Fort William. That he went accordingly with the said Bourke to see Cb&telain, and was desired by the said Chatelain to sell him some skins of the Ongiial for the purpose of making shoes, which Chatelain said his men were much in want of. That this deponent had three skins of the Orignal leather, his own private property, which he told Chatelain he would let bira nave. That this circumstance came afterwards to the know- ledge of the Honourable William M'Gillivray, who sent a inan to take up this deponent. Tiiat this deponent told the man there was no occasion to take him op, that be would ^ voluntarily to the said William M'Gillivray, which he in effect did. That, when arrived in the presence of the said William M^Gillivray, the latter told the deponent that be bad beea acting treacherously in sdliog skins to his(M'Gil- ZCVI ArPBMSIX. livray's) enemies. That the deponent tiicn replied, that he did not kno\f vrhose enemies be had i)ecn bargaining \rith, but thej were in want of skins, and this deponent had a right to sell his own property, and should deliver the skins he had promised. That the said M'GiUivray then threatened this deponent with imprbonment, if he had any further connec- tion with Ghitelain. That he afterwards took the said three skins, and delivered them to the said Ch&telain, at a little distance from Fort William. That this circumstance also came afterwards to the knowledge of the said William M'Gillivray, and on the morning following the delivery of the skins, while this deponent was yet in bed he was directed to get up and goto Dr. Maclaughlin, one of the North- West partners; when he came into Dr. Maclaughlin's presence, the Doctor called out to him, " You damned rascal, how *' durst you sell any thing to our enemies? I would hang ** you for a copper." The deponent replied, * You can't ' hang me for that, it is not so easy done.' — ^That the Doc- tor, who possessed great bodily strength, immediately laid Lis hands on this deponent's shoulders, and pu<»hed him down upon the floor, and gave him several severe blows. That, after this he directed the deponent to be taken to a small square building made of hewn logs, without any light, wherein was a quantity of human excrement. That, after being a short time in this confinement, the stench of the place, and the bruises he had received, made this deponent conceive that if he were kept there much longer his health would be destroyed : and be offered to Mr. Tate, an over- seer at Fort William, to work for a year without wages foe the North- West Company, if they would let him out. That the said Tate came again to the deponent, and told him that he would not get out by serving the North- West Company for one year, nor for two years; but that if he wished to be set at liberty, he must enter into a new engagement to serve them for three years longer. That this deponent refused to sign any such engagement for some time, hoping to induce them to accept of his services for a shorter space of time; but at length, after having been kept in the square building as a prisoner for ten days, perceiving his health much im- paired (which is not yet recovered), and being told that be .«hould be put in irons, he agreed to sign, and did sign an engagement lo serve the North-West Company for three years more, and was liberated from confinement. That this deponent was frequently advised and desired, from the time he was first in the service of the North- West Company, and even by several of the partners, to take a Squaw as a wife; APPENDIX. XCTII bot as he conceived this was wished for, for the purpose of fettiog him to run in debt to the North-West Company, e had never been prevailed upon to do so. That shortly after this deponent's liberation from con- finement, the Earl of Selkirk arrived in the vicinity of Fort William. That the partners of the North- West Company were afterwards arrested under warrants from the Earl of Selkirk. That the Earl of Selkirk did not immediately after the arrest of the partners take possession of Fort William, but allowed the partners to return to their rooms to pass the night. That this deponent himself saw the sidd partners during the night busily engaged in examining papers, of which he saw them burn a large quantity. That during the night also a great number of guns were removed from the magazines, in which they were kept usually at Fort William ; that they do not commonly keep loaded guns in the magazine; but that the guns removed from thence were found loaded, primed, and ready for use concealed in a hay- loft at Fort William the morning following the arrest of the partners. That barrels of gunpowder were also removed and hidden during the same night. That this deponent gave immediate information to the Earl of Selkirk of these proceedings, and on the morning of the following day his Lordship, whose men had been pret'i- ously encamped in an open space of ground opposite the fort, came and look possession of Fort William. That this deponent heard at the time from other engages of the North- West Company, and jfirmly believes, that the object for which the said arms and ammunition were concealed, was to effect the rescue of the partners arrested, and to destroy the party of the Earl of Selkirk. And this deponent further upon his oath declares, that he firmly believes, from his knowledge of the violent and sanguinary character of the partners of the North- West Company and their previous proceedings, that neither the life of the Earl of Selkirk, nor the lives of his men, would have been safe, had they conti- nued encamped without the Fort, but that they would have been cut off and massacred, if the said Earl of Selkirk had not immediately taken possession of Fort William. (Signed) ALEXANDER FRASER. Sworn before me, this 6th day of March, 1817. (Sighed) J. M. MONDELET, J. P. SCTIU APPENDIX. [ N. N. ] Declaration of F. F. Boucher, (See Obfervatioiu, page 185.) District de\ Examen volontaire de Francois Firmin Montreal. ^ Boucbcr, accuse, sous serment, d'avoir, le dix- heuf Juiit dernier, tue a la colonie de la Riviere Rouge, vingt-un homraes, au oombre des quels s*e8t trouve le Gouverneur Scrapie. Dit qu'il n'a tue qui-que-ce-soit ; qu*il fut envoye quatre jours auparavant la raort du Gouverneur Scrapie, par un des associes de la Corapagnie d» Nord-Oucst, Mr. Alexander M'Dontll, du Portage de la Prairie, pour porter des vivres a I'endroit nomme la Grenonilli^re, environ trois lieues plus bas que Fort la Fourche dans la Riviere Rouge; que lui et ses compagnons, pour eviter d'etre apper9us des Colons de la Baie d'Hudson, pass^rent dans les terres a distance eloignee du Fort de la Baie d'Hudson; — que dans la vue d^afFoiblir le parti de la Bayc d'Hudson, les Bois-Brules avoient vouiu eaimener avec eux, des colons de la Baye d'Hudson, et, ^-t. FORM NO. ET-6 ^I^-A/^ UNIVERSITY OF B.C. LIBRARY 3 9424 02172 8123